NFL coaches have had red challenge flags for more than a decade, and yet it is a constant issue for coaches struggling to remember which pocket they kept the dang thing in.
Like a disgruntled father at the airport trying to get all of his belongings into the bins at security, coaches are forever patting themselves down, pulling papers and pens out, desperate to find their flag in time to challenge a play. Some have resorted to keeping their flag in a sock so that they don’t have to go through the digging through pockets routine, but others haven’t learned that just yet and it can produce some hilarity on the sideline.
On Sunday, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll took this to a new level when he went digging for his flag to challenge a play and all he could come up with was his electric hand warmer that he dropped at the foot of the official in order to call for a review.
LOL, Pete Carroll couldn’t find his challenge flag. pic.twitter.com/e2I1yFRT9Q
— T-BILL (@tbillnw95) November 14, 2021
The best part is the official acknowledges it and stops play, and now I’d like coaches to just heave random objects on the field to challenge calls instead of flags. It was eventually identified as a hand warmer, but initially, everyone thought he had thrown a flip phone, which felt incredibly on brand for Carroll and jokes were flying around on social media.
https://twitter.com/SixersZak/status/1460014276043841539
Pete Carroll couldn’t find his challenge flag so he threw a Jitterbug phone apparently.#seahawks
Via @RegulatorsPod pic.twitter.com/6TW52tHuiN
— Robert Flores (@RoFlo) November 14, 2021
P sure Pete Carroll just tossed out one of those T-Mobile Sidekick phones from the early 2000s
— Mike Spiegel (@Mikesteezie) November 14, 2021
Mane Pete Carroll done threw his car keys,his AAA card,his cell phone, and a lil baby dove tryna get that challenge flag out his pocket 😭🤣 #NFL
— 💸⚔Money Millionaire⚔💸 (@IAMmoneymilli) November 14, 2021