By Sunday 
Campbell’s confusion meets the league’s denial
The Detroit Lions’ Week 6 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs might be long over, but the drama surrounding one controversial play just won’t fade away.
What started as a gutsy trick play — Jared Goff in motion, a pass from David Montgomery, and what looked like a touchdown — turned into a full-blown debate about who’s really calling the shots in the NFL.
Dan Campbell: “I Know It Came from New York”
After officials wiped the touchdown off the board for an illegal motion, Lions coach Dan Campbell wasn’t buying the on-field explanation.
He told reporters after the game, “I know it came from New York.” A few days later, on his weekly radio spot, Campbell doubled down — claiming that an on-field official had specifically told him the call was relayed from the league’s New York hub, Art McNally GameDay Central.
That’s a big statement, considering GameDay Central is the NFL’s command center — the nerve hub that’s only supposed to step in for certain rulings like scoring reviews or turnovers, not something as technical as illegal motion.
NFL: “We Did Not Intervene”
Enter Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations — and part of that GameDay Central crew.
Vincent went on record this week to clear the air (or at least try to). Speaking with Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, he said bluntly:
“It was not, and I’m not sure who coach Campbell was referring to, but we did not (intervene). We did not assist in that. We didn’t have to.”
He added that what fans heard on the broadcast — the long huddle and chatter between refs — was simply the crew conferring among themselves to make sure the illegal motion ruling was correct.
No calls from New York, no secret override. Just referees doing their job.
So Who’s Right Here?
That’s the million-dollar question. Someone clearly got mixed signals.
The league is standing firm that its replay hub stayed out of it. Campbell insists he was told otherwise. And the on-field official who allegedly said “it came from New York”? Silent.
So, we’re left with three possible scenarios:
- The NFL is lying and protecting its image.
- Dan Campbell is misinformed — or was misled.
- The ref made a mistake in what he told Campbell in the heat of the moment.
No matter which version you believe, the result is the same — fans are frustrated, and the Lions got burned on a play that could’ve swung momentum against one of the league’s biggest teams.
Protecting the Shield… or Just Protecting the Chiefs?
It’s not hard to see why some fans are raising eyebrows. The Chiefs sitting at 2–4? That would’ve sent shockwaves through the league. Instead, the touchdown comes off the board, and Kansas City survives another scare.
Coincidence? Maybe. But given how quickly the NFL jumped to defend its officials, plenty of Lions fans are shouting otherwise.
At the End of the Day
No matter how you slice it, this situation highlights one thing: the NFL’s communication system between refs, replay centers, and coaches is messy.
Dan Campbell’s earned a reputation for speaking his mind — he doesn’t throw claims around lightly. But when the league itself has to go on a mini-PR tour to say “we didn’t do it,” it’s fair to ask: what’s really going on behind the curtain?
Until someone offers proof, all we can do is what the story itself suggests — believe what you want.