It turns out the Detroit Lions have a sense of humor regarding one of the more controversial penalties of the 2023 regular season.
One week after the illegal touching call that wiped away the winning points against the Dallas Cowboys, the Lions jokingly took to social media to post a unique highlight reel following their Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Lions Release ‘Eligible Receiver Highlights’ in Response to Controversial Penalty
Offensive tackle Dan Skipper, who’s name was at the forefront of the infamous call that led to the Cowboys’ 20-19 win on Dec. 30, ended up getting a highlight tape put together by the Lions’ social media team.
It showcases the rare 6’10”, 320-pound wide receiving option displaying his soft hands, ball control, sideline awareness, and overall receiving skills on his lone catch of the season against Minnesota.
Screw it, @DanSkipper70 eligible receiver highlights 🔥 pic.twitter.com/onbXWjVYRC
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 8, 2024
The reel also includes a sound byte from head coach Dan Campbell about that unique play design versus the Vikings.
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“I thought it was great,” Campbell told reporters about that play. “Everyone loves Skip, right? But he reported, he’s loud, and I thought he was very clear about what he did. And he got the ball out in the flat and went up the sideline.”
The 48-second clip comes fewer than 10 days after that highly controversial illegal touching call from AT&T Stadium.
Tracing Back to Debated Call Involving Dan Skipper and the Lions
Skipper and Taylor Decker were at the forefront of one of the more infamous calls of the year.
Both linemen walked to the head judge to alert the officials of an offensive tackle-eligible play where one would be receiving the ball. Head official Brad Allen, however, revealed after the play that he thought Skipper, not Decker, was the one who was supposed to catch the two-point try.
Because Decker was the one who scored, Allen called the now-highly debated illegal touching call. But there was still confusion, as Decker was clearly directed by quarterback Jared Goff to report as the eligible receiver prior to the play.
The officiating decision sparked a fury of responses on both social media and from the Lions. Former Detroit QB turned ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky dove into a theory involving the botched two-point try.
Campbell was the most heated, even storming out of the postgame press conference in addressing the call. Decker, meanwhile, defended himself in the locker room.
“All I want to really say on it, just so I won’t get myself into trouble, is I did exactly what coach told me to do. I went to the refs to self-report,” Decker told reporters. “Dan brings up the possibilities of those kind of plays pregame. I did what I was told to do, and we did it in practice all week.”
Allen, though, explained in his pool report that Skipper was the one who reported as the eligible receiver and not Decker. Meanwhile, Lions Pro Bowl defensive end Aidan Hutchinson ripped the call in his appearance on teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown’s podcast via The 33rd Team on Wednesday.
Now, Skipper ends the season with one catch for four yards — which was still enough to be given a highlight reel for all of the Lions’ social media platforms.
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