NFL NEWS & NOTES

OFFICIATING

NFL refs preparing for replay reviews

PLANO, Texas

Veteran NFL referee Tony Corrente was quick to make the distinction about what changes now that pass interference can be challenged by coaches and reviewed by officials.

“First of all, the rule has not changed whatsoever. Pass interference is still the same rule that we have had in the past,” Corrente said Friday. “We haven’t changed our perspective toward it, we haven’t changed our interpretations of it whatsoever. It’s just the addition of replay.”

The significant difference, however, is the subjective nature of plays that are typically judgment calls that can now be reviewed, beyond objective standards such as whether a player stepped out of bounds or where the ball should be marked.

“That’s the new box we’ve opened,” said Corrente, going into his 25th season as an NFL official and 22nd as a referee.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Ex-fiancee claims Hill is father of her twins

OLATHE, Kan.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s former fiancee has gone to court seeking to prove that he is the father of her newborn twins and to require him to pay child support.

The Kansas City Star reports that Crystal Espinal filed a petition Thursday in Johnson County, Kan,, District Court. Her petition also seeks to establish supervised parenting time for Hill. The Chiefs suspended Hill on April 25 over allegations that his 3-year-old son was abused, which Hill denies.

New YORK JETS

Herndon suspended 4 games for DWI arrest

NEW YORK

Jets second-year tight end Chris Herndon was suspended without pay by the NFL on Friday for the first four regular-season games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Herndon pleaded guilty in January to driving while intoxicated in New Jersey in June 2018. The incident occurred about a month after he was selected by the Jets in the fourth round of the NFL draft out of Miami.

Herndon is eligible to participate in offseason and preseason practices and games. He can return to the Jets’ active roster on Oct. 7. Herndon could still appeal the NFL’s decision in an attempt to get the suspension reduced.

New Jersey State Police said Herndon was driving his Nissan Armada when he crashed into a Toyota Land Cruiser that was towing a trailer carrying another vehicle. When troopers arrived, they arrested Herndon on suspicion of DWI and took him to a nearby state police barracks for an alcohol breath test. The test revealed a blood-alcohol level over New Jersey’s limit of .08, according to State Police Sgt. Lawrence Peele.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

Incognito suspended 2 games over conduct

NEW YORK

Oakland Raiders guard Richie Incognito has been suspended without pay by the NFL for the first two games of the regular season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

Incognito pleaded guilty in April to disorderly conduct in Scottsdale, Ariz., after being accused of threatening employees at a funeral home where his father’s body was being held.

The Raiders signed Incognito in May. He sat out last season in retirement.

The 36-year-old Incognito has played 11 years in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl four times.

He is a leading contender to start at left guard in Oakland.

But he has also been suspended for bullying former Miami teammate Jonathan Martin, allegedly made racist slurs to an opponent during a playoff game in January 2018 and has had two run-ins with police since he retired following the 2017 season.ncognito is eligible to participate in offseason and preseason practices and games. He may return to the Raiders’ active roster on Sept. 16.

Associated Press