Enforcement on the punt return that never was

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Hold the flag and throw if it later affects the play.

If the left gunner is held, but the punt goes down the middle and is tackled right away, how does the hold affect the play?

I (as the Referee) picked up this flag earlier this year: QB is sacked for a 6-yard loss. Just before I killed the play, my U had a flag. Turns out it is for a hold 1 yard behind the line. How exactly does this hold matter when the QB was sacked by someone else 5 yards behind the hold? A: it doesn't!

I (somewhat) understand the waive off you describe - although this is likely more of a halftime discussion with U. But you can't hold a flag and then throw it later when you discover it mattered, especially on a kicking play. I fully get not penalizing for items away from the play. However, on a kick, EVERYTHING interacts with everything else, you have to assume it matters. (Also, what if some other official has a flag on the other team that you don't notice. NOW you're going to drop the flag for the foul you saw? That's just asking for trouble).