Well now we know where the speculation on the severity of the punishment is coming from:
Section 2 Extraordinarily Unfair Acts
Article 1 The Commissioner has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate
disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club action, non-participant interference,
or calamity occurs in an NFL game which he deems so extraordinarily unfair or outside
the accepted tactics encountered in professional football that such action has a major
effect on the result of the game.
Article 2 The authority and measures provided for in this entire Section 2 do not
constitute a protest machinery for NFL clubs to avail themselves of in the event a
dispute arises over the result of a game. The investigation called for in this Section 2 will
be conducted solely on the Commissioner’s initiative to review an act or occurrence that
he deems so extraordinary or unfair that the result of the game in question would be
inequitable to one of the participating teams. The Commissioner will not apply his
authority in cases of complaints by clubs concerning judgmental errors or routine errors
of omission by game officials. Games involving such complaints will continue to stand
as completed.
Article 3 The Commissioner’s powers under this Section 2 include the imposition of
monetary fines and draft-choice forfeitures, suspension of persons involved in unfair
acts, and, if appropriate, the reversal of a game’s result or the rescheduling of a game,
either from the beginning or from the point at which the extraordinary act occurred. In
the event of rescheduling a game, the Commissioner will be guided by the procedures
specified in Rule 17, Section 1, Articles 5 through 11, above. In all cases, the Commissioner
will conduct a full investigation, including the opportunity for hearings, use of
game videotape, and any other procedure he deems appropriate.
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