This year’s Grey Cup featured an uncommon penalty called on a rare play, which the league’s rules committee should arguably address this off-season.
On the final play of the third quarter, the Argonauts punted on third-and-19 when rookie defender Michael Ayers blocked John Haggerty’s kick. Winnipeg linebacker Kyrie Wilson committed illegal interference as the two teams jockeyed to corral the loose ball, however, which was recovered by his teammate Brandon Alexander.
Only four penalties result in an automatic first down in the CFL: pass interference, rough play, unnecessary roughness, and illegal interference on a loose ball. In accordance with the rulebook, Toronto was awarded a first down despite falling 38 yards shy of the first-down marker on third down, which sent a shockwave through BC Place Stadium.
When was the last time a team allowed a blocked punt, lost 19 yards, and was awarded a first down all on the same play? This might have been a first in all of professional football.
According to CFL stats guru Steve Daniel, only five blocked punts and one illegal interference penalty occurred during the entire 2024 regular season. Based on those numbers, the odds of those two things occurring on the same play are pretty astronomical, yet that’s exactly what happened in the biggest game of the year.
It makes sense for illegal interference to result in the non-offending team being given possession of the ball. If, for example, a running back fumbles on first down, the defence should get the ball if the offence interferes with an opponent trying to make the recovery, and vice versa. The automatic first down is the sticky part.
As it stands, the rule is intended to punish the offending team for not only inhibiting the opposition’s recovery but also the ensuing potential return. Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea, who has a spot on the CFL’s rules committee, cited this as the reason he believes the rule should remain unchanged.
“(The team that fumbled) should have the opportunity to field the ball cleanly and make the next decision,” said O’Shea during his end-of-year media availability. “If they’re not given that opportunity through an illegal act through a penalty, then that’s the outcome of the penalty. My job is to coach it better.”
“There’s a lot of different variables or outcomes that could come from them not being interfered with and pick up the ball, so I think the easy answer for me is to say, ‘Yeah, change the rule.’ I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.”
Wilson indicated postgame that he didn’t know an illegal interference penalty would result in the Argonauts automatically being given a first down, which certainly seems like a failing of Winnipeg’s coaching staff. The veteran linebacker also admitted that he shoved an opponent while the ball was loose, calling it a “bad mistake.”
While it’s technically true that any player who recovers a fumble can run for first-down yardage, it seems a little ridiculous to suggest it was a realistic outcome on this particular play. Jack Cassar, the Toronto player who was closest to the ball, is a great athlete, but returning a blocked punt 38 yards for a first down seems pretty far-fetched.
It’s also true that Cassar could have punted the ball upon recovery, though this likely would have resulted in Winnipeg gaining possession anyway, albeit with worse field position.
Hours after the Grey Cup in Vancouver, 3DownNation had a conversation with a member of the league office who has direct involvement with officiating. The individual indicated that illegal interference would likely be reassessed this off-season, saying the spirit of the rule might not apply to blocked punts.
Perhaps the best fix would be changing illegal interference to award the non-offending team with possession of the ball 10 yards up from the spot of the foul — but without an automatic first down. In this case, that would have meant Toronto taking possession 10 yards up from where Wilson shoved an opponent, putting the ball somewhere around the 40-yard line. It would remain third down, giving the Argonauts a second chance to punt.
This would also fix other potential anomalies. Under the current rules, if the centre fires a snap over the head of a quarterback, the offence is automatically given a first down if the defence commits illegal interference while the ball is loose. That doesn’t seem fair. If the offence loses 20 yards because of a bad snap on second-and-eight, they shouldn’t get a free pass just because the defence commits an infraction while the ball is on the turf.
The Grey Cup drew an average television audience of just over 3.5 million people this year, which included a year-over-year English-language boost of 19.9 percent. With most regular-season games reaching a television audience a mere fraction of that size, the Grey Cup serves as an annual opportunity to showcase the league to millions of casual fans who have the potential to become part of its hardcore audience.
This year’s championship game wasn’t decided on this play — Willie Jefferson intercepted a short pass from Nick Arbuckle two plays later, yet Toronto still won by 17 points — but it’s not in anyone’s best interest to have rules on the book that don’t make sense. There are already plenty of Canadian sports fans who dismiss the CFL as bush league, so it’s important not to give critics ammunition with rules that don’t make much sense.
As rare as this play was, it’s the responsibility of the league and its stakeholders to ensure illegal interference gets reviewed this off-season.
