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Calgary Stampeders head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson believes that CFL officials badly erred when assessing an unnecessary roughness penalty against his team in the second quarter of Saturday’s loss to Montreal, and that the replay centre was negligent for letting it happen.
“They know it’s a bad call,” Dickenson told reporters after the game. “(The referee) said shoulder to the head — that’s legal in football when you’re a running back. He was in bounds. It wasn’t a spear.”
The controversial call came after Alouettes’ quarterback Davis Alexander dumped the ball off for running back Travis Theis, who turned up the left sideline for a 15-yard gain. The ball carrier evaded an attempted ankle sweep from cornerback Adrian Greene, and it appeared his momentum would carry him out of bounds, but halfback Benny Sapp III flew in late with a seismic hit before he could touch the white stripe.
Per Forde, Theis on the white stripe when the hit occurs, therefore he’s NOT in bounds
It was also ruled shoulder to head, therefore it’s a DIRTY hit
Hope that helps 👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/ySZfCpHQ5f
— RJ 👾 (@headgameswithrj) July 18, 2026
A flag was thrown by one of the officiating crew, and a 15-yard penalty was tacked on to the end of the play. Dickenson appeared to be irate on the opposite sideline and continued to berate the officials about the call for the remainder of the series. He was considerably calmer post-game, admitting he did not actually see the penalty live, though he remained unimpressed with the explanation he received.
“I didn’t see it. If it’s a spear, it’s a spear, and it’s a call. But there’s no call in football for a shoulder to the head on a running back in bounds. I think they know that. They’ll look at it, probably,” Dickenson said.
“Guess what? One call’s one call, but the Command Centre in Toronto has the right to fix that. They have instant replay. They can look at it. He’s in bounds, and it wasn’t a spear. It should pick your flag up.”
Under Article 4 of the CFL rulebook, an unnecessary roughness penalty can be assessed for “delivering a blow to an opponent in the neck or head.” The subsection does not specify that the blow must be delivered with your helmet, as spearing, butting, or ramming an opponent with your head is outlawed separately, though there is consideration for mitigating factors.
Referees may also assess the same penalty for “any other act of roughness or unfair play, provided it is not considered excessive enough to warrant disqualification.” The rulebook explicitly states that “officials are instructed that no tolerance whatsoever is
to be given to infractions” which constitute unnecessary roughness.
Sapp appeared to come in high against Theis, with his left shoulder catching the running back under his chin, though it is not clear and obvious on replay. Dickenson clearly felt the play deserved a longer look.
“It’s one of those things where the Command Centre in Toronto has a right to pick up something that’s a miscall. And if you’re not sure, I think the refs are told to call it, and that the Command Centre can fix it,” he noted. “If it was a spear, it’s a call. He was in bounds, for sure, and he was going forward. If it’s head-to-head with a spear, certainly, then I understand the call. I was told shoulder to the head, which is legal. We’ll see what happens.”
The Replay Centre, formerly known as the Command Centre, automatically reviews calls regarding late hits on the sideline and can pick up a flag if the contact is initiated in-bounds. However, they are only authorized to make rulings regarding hits to the head in cases of roughing the passer or when the injury spotter has chosen to pull a player.
Sapp’s penalty had a meaningful impact on the Stampeders, as it immediately moved Montreal near midfield. Fullback Jacob Mason made an eerily similar catch to Theis on the next play and rumbled virtually untouched for 34 yards up the same sideline. Tyler Snead then caught a 25-yard touchdown pass to put Montreal up 22-0.
Calgary battled back before ultimately losing 38-32. The damage from the flag was already done.
“You saw the next play,” Dickenson said. “They’re running down the sideline, our guys aren’t even sure if we should tackle them.”
The CFL officiating department is likely to hear from the Stampeders this week seeking further clarification on the penalty, while Dickenson may also receive a phone call from the league to make him a little lighter in the wallet due to his comments.
Editor’s note: this article was assembled using key files from 3DownNation contributor Ryan Ballantine.
