Irsay Makes Plea for Instant Replay

Instant replay officiating can be saved for the National Football League here this week if enough club owners come to the league’s annual convention with an open mind, Jim Irsay said Sunday.

Irsay, general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, urged the leaders of all NFL teams to heed their fans.

“Every poll shows that the football public is overwhelmingly in favor,” he said. “After a close play on the field, the first thing the fan says is, ‘Let’s check the instant replay.’ ”

Noting that the owners are split on whether to continue it, Irsay said: “If we throw out replay officiating now after it’s become part of the game, there will be a national uproar if a team misses the Super Bowl on a bad call that could have been corrected.”

The league’s finance committee opened the convention Sunday with a discussion of Jerry Jones’ application to become majority owner of the Dallas Cowboys. Committee members declined to say afterward if their recommendation is for or against, but the NFL’s owners will vote on it in executive session this morning as their first order of business.