The Montreal Alouettes have proposed several solutions in its protest to the Canadian Football League concerning last Friday's 19-12 loss to the B.C. Lions.
The Als, who believe they were denied a touchdown late in the game because of a whistle that blew the play dead after the touchdown and not before as the CFL has claimed, issues several solutions in a statement released on Wednesday, two days after the official protest was filed with the league.
The Als proposed that the game be continued from the point of the touchdown scored at the conclusion of this Sunday's game in Montreal between the two teams or the declaration of the game as a tie.
"This decision on the part of both the on-field officials and the replay officials affects not only the Montreal Alouettes, but all other CFL teams as well," the Als said in the statement. "It has a direct impact on the standings in both the Eastern and Western Divisions. This decision could also result in a crossover in the playoffs, where the B.C. Lions, as a result of the two points they earned in the standings after being given a win in the game in question, could eliminate an Eastern Division team from the playoffs. This would cost the team missing the playoffs potential revenue.
"In addition, this decision could cost fans a chance to see their team in a home playoff game, or a playoff game at all. The Montreal Alouettes have filed this protest in order to have the appropriate corrective action taken. Properly rectifying this situation would be a win-win situation for the CFL."
The Als presented a detailed protest based on the facts they collected and reviewed. The Als claim on the touchdown called back there were no whistles blown, as confirmed by visual and audio evidence and official game film they have analyzed, nor did any official try to stop the play. Furthermore, the Als contend no player on the field stopped playing as a result of hearing a whistle and, and specifically, B.C.’s defensive players continued to chase running back Avon Cobourne until he crossed the goal line and the whistle blew.
Concerning the CFL's contention the officials' attempted to stop the play by activating a pager device that is worn by four different officials, including the referee, the Als say it is apparent that either the devices did not go off until Cobourne crossed the goal line or they did go off, but no official stopped the play because it had occurred after the play started and thus the play was official (as confirmed by visual and audio evidence and official game film).
"What makes this sequence of events even more confusing is that the clock that the CFL office replay officials were trying to check was correct the entire time."
The game supervisor and video replay official wanted to stop the game believing there had been an error in the time remaining. In fact, the time had been correct at one minute, not 1:05 as the supervisor and video replay official believed.
"The CFL on-field officials and CFL replay officials had every chance to rectify the situation after the on-field officials got together to discuss the play (or non-play) in question," the Als added in the statement. "The referee could have informed the CFL replay officials that the clock was correct, the Referee could have informed the CFL replay officials that their pagers were not activated before the play took place and the touchdown was scored. Again, the only whistle blown on the field was after the touchdown by the Montreal Alouettes."
The Als disputed the explanation put forward during the broadcast by the referee that Montreal would have to replay the play because the officials' intention was to stop it before it began.
"If a team wants to challenge a play, it has until the snap of the ball," the Als say. "If a team wants to call a time out, it has until the snap of the ball. If the CFL replay officials want to stop a play, they have until the snap of the ball.
"This did not occur nor was there a whistle blown before the touchdown was scored as for visual and audio evidence and official game film."
The CFL is expected to announce a ruling in the next day or so.
