North Carolina State University Athletics
Replay Q&A: Amato favors ACC decision
2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 17, 2005
BY TIM PEELER
On Tuesday, the ACC agreed in principle to allow instant replay in conference football games next season, joining the Big Ten as the only Division I-A leagues to allow officials to review - and potentially overturn - rulings on the field with video replays.
NC State coach Chuck Amato discussed the change Wednesday with www.gopack.com's Tim Peeler.
GOPACK: Are you a big supporter of instant replay, or did you have to be convinced? AMATO: After last season? I am supporter of it. The Big Ten did their experiment last year, if you can call it that, and it looked like almost 50 percent of the plays they reviewed were over-ruled or thereabouts. That can be the difference in going to a bowl, going to a big bowl or not going to any bowl at all. With that, there comes a lot of other things. I would be interested in a study that said how many of those overrules had a big affect towards the outcome of the game.
GOPACK: I believe I read that of 43 plays that were challenged, 21 were overturned and six or seven of those changed the outcome of the games.
AMATO: That's huge, absolutely huge. Anytime you can help the game where you can have the players the only ones making a difference in the game, I think it is to our benefit. In saying that, I think the officials do an outstanding job. I don't think there is any official in America or any league in America that intentionally does something wrong. I don't think anybody would do that. I have a brother who is an official (former Wolfpack player Rosie Amato) and I know they take their job very, very, very seriously. But NFL does instant replay, and that is the highest you go in football. I know we would all have to learn what type of plays are able to be questions. I haven't looked at the parameters of how you would do everything. But I am all for it.
GOPACK: Did you happen to talk to your brother about this and how it might be viewed by officials?
AMATO: No, because he is an official. But, to be honest with you, I bet a lot of them would be for it too, because it will help them out. They don't want to do something wrong, either.
GOPACK: I know you are for it as the NC State football coach. What are your feelings on it as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Football Coaches Association? What kind of financial impact will this have on all of college football if it filters down from the Big Ten and the ACC to all the other leagues?
AMATO: I think that is the question: how far will it filter down. There may be some divisions that aren't able to do it because they don't have the facilities to do it or the finances to do it. It's hard to say. But everybody has access to video today. If it is just a matter of adding another monitor and having a guy up there who makes the decisions, what are you costing those schools? But there is no question you have to be sensitive to that issue, and I think we all are. There are still a lot of things to be decided. Last year it was the Big Ten who tried this, and now it is the ACC. Before it is all over there might be more than just the ACC this year. Then maybe everybody in Division I-A will be able to do it.
GOPACK: How long do you think it will be before this is a thing that will be adopted for all of Division I-A?
AMATO: I would be guessing, but I don't think it will be long.
GOPACK: So, do you care to say which of last year's plays you might want to have reviewed?
AMATO: No. But Wolfpack fans know.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.com.
