Palm Beach, Fla. — The NFL once again compromised on instant replay, deciding Tuesday to continue it for five more years rather than putting it in permanently.
The owners did decide, however, to add an extra challenge for teams who have successfully used two challenges. Since replay was reinstituted in 1999, teams were limited to just two challenges, except for the last two minutes of each half, when a replay official could order a review.
The vote on replay was 29-3, with Kansas City, Indianapolis and Cincinnati voting against, but Arizona voting for it for the first time in the two decades it has been considered.
"Some people were still concerned about replay," commissioner Paul Tagliabue said about not instituting it permanently. "And there were many, including myself, who felt that putting it in for five years rather than permanently would provide an incentive for the officiating department and the league office to continue to find ways to improve it."
Twenty-four votes were needed from the 32 teams to keep it. That was another reason, Tagliabue said, why some teams were reluctant to put it in permanently -- if that were done, it would require 24 votes to get it out.
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