One of the sites I work for opted not to publish this one, but I thought it was a little too entertaining not to share (all be it a little dated maybe...)
The NFL has gone a full slate of games now with the regular
referees back. It was clear around the league that just about everyone--fans,
players, coaches-- were happy to see these guys. Fans at some stadiums gave the
refs standing ovations when they first walked onto the field. Ed
Hochuli (the
really buff referee) and his crew were even announced like players in a CBS
broadcast.
Now that love is bound to go away
rather quickly (like after the flurry of questionable pass interference calls
at the end of the Giants/Eagles game or the near debacle in Green Bay), and it
will be back to business as usual. For now it is nice to see all parties in the
NFL actually getting along. However, that does not mean that the replacement
refs can't still touch our lives--just a little bit.
We will be forever thankful to the
replacement ref that goofed up the call in the Seattle/Green Bay game. Without
the resulting insanity from that botched call we might be having hockey-style
brawls breaking out by now with the replacements having no control over the
games.
There is one man that is especially
thankful to Wayne Elliot (the replacement ref from the
Seattle/Green Bay game) for his mistake. A gentleman in Canada picked the
winners in fifteen games turning his $5 bet into a $725,254. The key game in
the slate--the Monday Night game between the Seahawks and Packers (he had the
Seahawks).
However, in light of recent news,
you have to wonder if the gambling establishment that he placed the bet with
would want its money back. Now that he's had some time to think about it,
Elliot (the replacement ref) has stated that he probably did get the call
wrong.
"I'd probably call interception," Elliot said, via USA Today. "I learned a rule by screwing up the rule."
You think? Noooo! You have to
give the man a little credit for coming clean admitting it publicly had to be
pretty tough.
Packers head coach Mike
McCarthy deserves
a little credit here too. Apparently after hearing that Elliot was getting a
lot of calls at home (most not very complimentary) he called Elliot up and gave
him credit for handling the whole sordid mess with class.
Everybody now--ahhhhh!
For now it appears as if the safety
and integrity of the league is going t be safe; at least for the next few
years. No movie will probably be made about these replacements, but they will
inspire plenty of things. Most of them will not be complimentary in nature, but
they will make us laugh.
Like this clip from the Daily Show that
was made shortly after that fateful Monday Night game:
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