Rules RE: Declined Penalties

[pjerwin]

Yes, an unlikely scenario, but this actually happened last night. The penalties called against Team A were "illegal procedure" (undefined) and "holding." The flags flew only after the play ended.

Yes, I know: NEVER listen to the announcer; what he/she says is irrelevant to the play of the game. The referee consulted with Team B's Captain, who made the decision to decline, then the referee signaled each call and each decline of penalty, but only at the point when the announcer said, "...so, the touchdown stands," and the officials signal TD, did Team B realized their stupidity.

The end result was that the referee went back to Team B and let them change their decision. Not only was the touchdown vacated, but Team A was assessed a yardage loss AND A LOSS OF DOWN.

Later, the game was called due to weather: lightening in the area that continued for a half-hour with another line of storms on the way. Despite the fact that it was a conference game, the score at initial cessation of play was allowed to stand.