The rule was completely rewritten after the 2000 season--ironically, because of a disputed call in a playoff game.John Grasso wrote:When exactly did the rule change?Bob Gill wrote: That catch yesterday would've been a touchdown in 1965 or '75 or '85 and nobody would have given it a second thought, and I miss those days.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and St. Louis Rams met in the NFC championship game. With the Rams leading 11-6 and less than 2 minutes to play, Tampa Bay was moving the ball. But a pass from Shaun King to Bert Emanuel was ruled incomplete because the replayed showed that the tip of the ball had touched the ground when Emanuel made what had appeared to be a diving catch.
The ruling stirred so much controversy that the rule was rewritten. That opened the door for all these other controversies. The rewritten rule has been called the "Bert Emanuel Rule."
P.S. Rich McKay, then Tampa Bay's GM, was the co-chairman of the Rules Committee at the time.