NFL star taken out by official during preseason | NFL News

CeeDee Lamb discovered himself in a tangle with an official during the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason bout against the Los Angeles Rams. The Cowboys confronted off against the Rams at SoFi Stadium on Saturday evening, with all eyes on Micah Parsons amid his unsure future. Although Lamb wasn’t suited up for play, he still felt the influence of the sport when he inadvertently collided with an official, ensuing in a 15-yard penalty for the Cowboys.

The mishap occurred as Lamb, dressed casually, was too close to the motion while observing quarterback Joe Milton – the new recruit studying from Dak Prescott – launch a long move to Jonathan Mingo in the second quarter.

Side Judge Anthony Jeffries, preserving tempo with the play, unwittingly barrelled into Lamb from behind, not noticing the four-time Pro Bowl receiver forward of him.

Lamb appeared unscathed and shared a snigger over the incident with his teammates. However, the Cowboys had been slapped with an unsportsmanlike conduct flag, which negated half of their 51-yard advance due to Ram Shaun Jolly’s move interference on Mingo.

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer expressed concern for the official but emphasised the need for better awareness: “I hope the guy’s OK. They said he’s OK, the official that he ran into, but we have to be better than that,” he remarked. “CeeDee knows better. We know better.”

The Cowboys raised no objections to the call. Referee Alex Moore supplied readability in a pool report, stating: “It’s sideline interference. CeeDee Lamb was standing in the restricted white border area, which is our area to officiate the game.”

Moore elaborated on the incident: “The official on the play was focused solely on doing his job, and he ran into CeeDee Lamb, who was standing in that restricted area. That’s what happened. And with that contact, it’s an automatic foul.”

Acknowledging the weird nature of the event, Moore added: “It’s more of a rare situation. Normally, we don’t have anybody standing that deep into the restricted area or that type of forceful contact. So it is a rare occurrence, but it does happen from time to time.

“It’s one thing that all people is conscious of, that white space is our space to work safely.”

Lamb was among those, including Prescott and George Pickens, who did not take part in the preseason game for the Cowboys.

Coach Scottenheimer expressed frustration over the Cowboys’ lack of discipline during the preseason match. The peculiar penalty on Lamb was just one aspect of America’s Team accruing 11 flags for 83 yards, tarnishing Scottenheimer’s debut as head coach.

“We have to do a better job teaching and enjoying… You cannot give away penalties in this league,” Schottenheimer declared. “So we’ve to be better.”

The Cowboys are gearing up for their preseason clashes against the Baltimore Ravens (Aug. 16) and the Atlanta Falcons (Aug. 22), before they kick off the 2025 NFL season against the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, on Sept. 4.