The NFL, with its 100-year history, is no stranger to controversy. And while it doesn’t happen all that often, it happens from time to time. There’s nothing more annoying than enjoying a match between your two favorite football teams, and then a dubious call from a referee destroys the vibe of the match. It’s even worse if you have made a bet on that specific match after knowing that Fanduel has the latest NFL expert picks.
From the infamous tuck rule to an apparent fumble somehow being called an incomplete pass, there’s nothing stranger than the calls we will talk about today. That said, here are the most controversial calls by the referees in NFL history.
2002 Missed Pass Interference
One of the hardest calls to make in the NFL is pass interference. This is because there are a lot of factors to consider when making this call. However, the infamous 2002 missed pass interference in the match between San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants is a heated topic of debate that is still being talked about up to this very day.
The New York Giants made a very impressive play that led to a rally against the opposing team, with an amazing 24-point deficit on a 39-38 and only a minute to play left. The Giants were in a dangerous situation but still have hope since they still have the ball with a minute left to get into the field goal range. They got into range but did a botched snap, which means they can’t kick the field goal.
Instead, what happened is that after Matt Allen had caught the football, he looked down the field and threw it to Rich Seubert, who was tackled by an opposing player. Obviously, this is a classic case of defensive interference, which a lot of people agree with. However, as questionable as it is, the referees called Rich Seubert an ineligible receiver. They called the play an incomplete pass, which is still a big question for NFL fans nowadays.
Fail Mary
This one is a no-brainer as the Fail Mary is one of the most ridiculous calls made in NFL history. On Monday night, during a football game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, a lot of the officials were absent due to a dispute. Because of this, the association called a bunch of replacements to officiate the game. While this often happens in the league, the incompetence of the referees isn’t.
With time about to expire, rookie quarterback Russell Wilson threw a hail mary pass into the end zone. It showed that Packer’s defensive back M.D. Jennings caught the ball and went down with it. However, it also appeared that Golden Tate came down with the ball. This means that both of them came down with the ball at the same exact moment.
While this is already a strange and difficult call to make, what made matters worse is that an official ruled it as a touchdown while another rejected the ruling. After deliberation, a touchdown was made official, and the Settle Hawks won. However, it was revealed post-game that offensive pass interference should’ve been given to Tate, which negates the touchdown ruling and gives the Packers the win.
Helmet Mistaken as the Football
In a game between the Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets back in 1998, Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde decided to rush down the endzone himself for a game-winning touchdown but failed to get across the line. However, the referees called it a touchdown and gave the Jets the win. Back then, there was no instant replay, and so the call was made official immediately.
However, after the game, Seahawks head coach, Dennis Erickson, took a call from the league and was told that the referees mistakenly saw Testaverde’s helmet as the ball, while in fact, the football itself didn’t go over the line. Because of this, the instant replay was reintroduced in the league after a six-year hiatus.
Tuck Rule
This is the rule that every New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders won’t ever forget. In a game between the two teams, Oakland had a three-point lead, with only moments before the clock ended. Tom Brady had the ball and was about to make a play when out of the corner came Charles Woodson and knocked the ball from Brady’s hand.
The game was supposed to end, but when the referees made a call regarding the tuck rule, the game continued. The rule states that when an offensive player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any of the player’s intentional forward movement will be considered a forward pass, even if he loses the ball as he tries to tuck it back towards his body.
The game then went on to overtime. Brady did his usual magic and won the game, which was supposed to be a win by the Raiders if it weren’t for the tuck rule.
Takeaway
While situations like the ones mentioned above don’t happen all too often, they do happen still, and it usually turns the game into a heated debate between the fans of both teams. However, the blame usually falls on the referees. While one would expect that they aren’t perfect, these calls are still ridiculous. Nevertheless, they are fun to talk about with other football enthusiasts.
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