PFWA Pool Reporter Matt Derrick Interview with Referee Craig Wrolstad
Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, October 12, 2025
Question: Can you walk me through the play itself and what Jared Goff did to draw the penalty (first quarter illegal motion foul that negated a touchdown)?
Craig Wrolstad: “There were a lot of moving parts on that play. We had a quarterback go up to the line of scrimmage. He paused momentarily in the quarterback position, didn’t get under center, but he walked up and stopped like he was the quarterback. Then, he went in motion, and they threw the ball to him for a touchdown. If the quarterback assumes the quarterback position and then goes in motion, he has to then stop for a second before they snap the ball. Because he gets out of the view of some of the officials, we had to piece it together as a crew as to whether he stopped initially and then whether he stopped when he went in motion. It was determined after a lengthy discussion that he stopped at the quarterback position and then went in motion. But when he does that, he has to stop when he goes in motion.”
Question: So, if he had come to a complete stop after going in motion, it would have been a legal play?
Wrolstad: “That’s correct.”
Question: My understanding is that there was a minute and 14 seconds from the time the play ended until when you dropped the flag for the penalty. Can you walk me through what the discussion process was between you and the crew in making that decision?
Wrolstad: “It’s my job to see if the quarterback stopped initially. The down judge watches the player in motion, and we had to communicate between him, my umpire, and my line judge whether or not he initially stopped at the quarterback position and then whether he stopped after he went in motion out of my view toward the left-hand side of the field. There was a little bit of confusion in our discussion whether he had stopped initially or whether he had stopped at the end and what we were talking about. That’s why the flag came in so late.”
Question: What kind of help or assistance, if any, did you have from the replay assistant in Kansas City or from New York?
Wrolstad: “We did not have any assistance from Kansas City or New York.”
Question: So that was just a discussion amongst the crew itself?
Wrolstad: “That’s right.”
Question: Would the ruling on the play have been different if Jared Goff had been in a shotgun formation?
Wrolstad: “Yes. If he doesn’t assume a t-quarterback position, then he would not have had to stop. He would have had to stop originally in the shotgun formation for a second. Everybody would have had to be set for a second. But then if he goes in motion, he would not have to stop. This only applies to a quarterback who has assumed a position as a t-quarterback.”
