VIDEO REVIEW FOR PASS INTERFERENCE APPROVED

TORONTO (CP) – The CFL board of governors has approved making pass interference calls subject to video review.

CFL coaches are now allowed to challenge both called and potential defensive pass interference fouls under certain conditions. The CFL is the first football league to expand video review to include pass interference.

“We are constantly looking for ways to make our great game even better and I believe we have done that today with the approval of this rule change,” CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon said in a statement. “Being progressive and using technology to compliment the excellent work our officials already do on the field is positive for our teams, players, and ultimately, our fans.”

The board of governors also approved all other rule changes that were proposed by the league’s rules committee. All changes will be implemented for the 2014 season.

The new rule pass interference rule allows a team to use an available coach’s challenge a called or potential pass interference foul up to the final three minutes of a game. After that, a team can only challenge such a call or non-call one time, and only if it still has an unused challenge and a timeout remaining.

An unsuccessful challenge of a potential pass interference foul in the final three minutes will result in the loss of a timeout, but an unsuccessful challenge of an actual pass interference call in the final minutes will not.

Other approved rule changes include:

– Eliminating low blocks below the waist in all areas of the field except in the area between the tackles and two yards on either side of the line of scrimmage.

– Requiring an injured player to leave the field for three plays regardless of whether a penalty was called on the action leading to the injury.

– Allowing quarterbacks for each team to use their own team supplied Wilson footballs, provided they have met the “new ball” quality standard established by the league.

– Allowing centres to bob their heads multiple times in an effort to signal timing of the snap of the ball.