BEREA, Ohio (AP) — A person familiar with the ruling says the Cincinnati Bengals did not violate the substitution rule on Sunday when they caught the Cleveland Browns off guard for a touchdown.
The Bengals quickly snapped the ball to quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who threw a 41-yard scoring pass to rookie A.J. Green with 4:31 left in a 27-17 win. The person, speaking on the condition of anonymity because rulings between teams and the league are confidential, told the Associated Press that the Bengals substituted legally and did not have an advantage on the play.
Following the game, Browns coach Pat Shurmur wasn’t sure if the Bengals’ touchdown was illegal. On Monday, Shurmur accepted responsibility for not calling a timeout before the ball was snapped. Cleveland’s defense was still in the huddle when the ball was snapped, and by the time the Browns reacted it was too late.
