relevant then just as they still are today:

First, the human element is not and will not be removed. At the end of the day, there will always be subjective, eye of the beholder calls.

Second, nobody wants a game that's being overly interrupted by replay review. We're simply not going to stop a game after every play to make sure every call was correct.

Third, with the second point in mind, we're not reviewing for holding, PI, facemasks (though I'm not sure why they still can't review for that one since they can now review for targeting), and several other subjective calls.

Fourth, the game will never be called perfect, and that's fine. The goal is that it's called fairly, not perfectly.

Fifth, in the goal to achieve fairness and in knowing that the game is never called perfectly, the standard for replay was set at irrefutable evidence in order to overturn a call. Sometimes an imperfect call helps your team, and sometimes it hurts your team, but they are part of the game and the goal is that they are fair to both teams.


Replay itself isn't perfect. We all remember SDSU's temper tantrum over the JJ fumble, but the correct replay call actually would not have been the perfect call as replay is required to ignore the obvious facemask that occurred on that play that would have negated the fumble. How is that fair or right?

Then there are still things that happen like the Alabama/Auburn game where a replay review that stopped the clock is the only thing that enabled Auburn to be able to kick a game winning FG. Without that clock stoppage, the game was over. The right, fair, and should have been correct call in that game would have been for replay to come back and say, "We can easily see that the clock would have long since expired before Auburn could have successfully lined up for a FG, therefore the game is over." But replay wasn't allowed to say that back then and instead Auburn won a game they shouldn't have, and all because replay interfered.


Officials aren't perfect and replay isn't perfect. That's why in the goal for fairness the decision was made to set the standard at irrefutable evidence and not just "we're pretty sure". If it's not irrefutable, then we stick to the way the game has always been called, which is fair to both teams.