Six.
That’s the number of offensive pass interference penalties New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has been called for this season, leading some to believe he is being unfairly targeted by referees. NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino disagrees with those people, though.
“Offensive pass interference: A lot of discussion about that this year, a lot of discussion about this play,” Blandino said Friday during his weekly officiating video, via ProFootballTalk. “He’s going to go into the defender, use his forearm to push off, extend his arm and create separation. This is a foul for offensive pass interference.
“Whether he uses the forearm or an open hand, the key is the extension. The extended arm into the defensive player to create that separation. You can see the effect it has on the defender and the separation that is created. That’s a foul for offensive pass interference.”
You probably shouldn’t expect a Gronk “agree” tweet on that.
Thumbnail photo via Chris Humphreys/USA TODAY Sports Images
