Through the first two weeks of the 2020 XFL regular season, we’ve seen referees across the league allow crunching hits that likely would draw flags in the NFL. In Saturday’s opener in Tampa Bay, though, the Roughnecks were assessed a costly penalty on what seemed to be a very well-timed hit.
On a 2nd-and-10 play, Vipers quarterback Quinton Flowers launched a pass down the sideline in the area of three Houston defenders, but running back De’Veon Smith made a great catch and held the ball through an immediate hit from safety Cody Brown.
Brown leveled Smith, who was a defenseless receiver at the time of contact, but replays showed that Brown led with his shoulder and appeared to make a legal hit. The penalty put the Vipers half the distance to the goal, and they scored a touchdown on the very next play with a 7-yard rush from Flowers.
Former NFL player Louis Riddick, along with plenty of XFL fans, couldn’t believe the call.
