NFL apologizes to Raiders for call on Derek Carr slide

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Raiders coach Jon Gruden said the NFL’s head of officiating, Al Riveron, called to apologize for the officials incorrectly ruling quarterback Derek Carr had slid out of bounds late in the fourth quarter in Sunday’s 20-16 loss to the Jaguars.

“We accept the apology,” Gruden said. “But Derek was in bounds, and that play cost us dearly.”

On the second-and-9 play, Carr took a designed run 12 yards then clearly began his slide in bounds. By rule, the dead ball spot is where Carr began his slide, which means the clock should have kept running.

But the officials stopped the clock, which led to a delay of game when time didn’t run down to the two-minute warning as it should have. The Raiders were assessed a delay of game, which gave the offense a consequential first-and-15 with 2:05 left instead of first-and-10 at 2:00.

As he mentioned immediately following the game, Gruden said he thought the league’s replay office in New York should have been able to correct the mistake during the game — in part because of how the league has handled situations that were to the Raiders’ detriment earlier in the season.

“I don’t like it at all. I mean, they stopped the game in Indiana and took my middle linebacker (Vontaze Burfict) away for 12 weeks. They ended his season. They stopped the game in Kansas City and took (Trayvon) Mullen’s interception away,” Gruden said. “Why the hell don’t you stop the game and get the clock right? I don’t think it was even close. So I’m not happy about it.

“Apologies are great, but this is 2020,” Gruden added. “I’ve been in enough meetings and I’m disgusted by it. I don’t want any instant replay in my life, personally, but if we’re going to have it, let’s use it properly. I don’t think it’s that hard.”

Despite the apology, Gruden said he was still “very upset” talking about the play.

“Everybody, I’m sure, has sour grapes today when it comes to officiating,” Gruden said. “But what happened yesterday, the quarterback gave himself up in the field of play. We’ve got eight guys out there. So, I’m not going to say much more. But to answer your question, it’s not real fulfilling — or is it fulfilling for our team or our fans who came out to support us.”

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Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.