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I promise you I wrote the above before I just read this while at lunch:
There were more than a few conspiracy theorists wondering why officials blew New England’s hustled third-and-one in the red zone dead because they weren’t in proper position, only to throw a flag on the next play and all but halt the Patriots’ only potential touchdown drive against the Buffalo Bills.
And you don’t need to be a conspiracy theorist to wonder what the refs were thinking when they awarded a fumble to the Washington Redskins after the Cleveland Browns came out of the pile with it.
But for any of you wondering just how extreme an NFL ref might get to ensure a certain outcome, wonder no more, because this story involving Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young is the craziest.
In an excerpt shared by MMQB from his forthcoming autobiography, “QB: My Life Behind the Spiral,” Young shared the following story from his short-lived tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an example of his popularity following a successful career with BYU and the USFL’s Los Angeles Express:
Even on the field, I can’t escape the craziness. We play the Colts at home. Partway through the second quarter I’m in the huddle when the head referee taps me on the shoulder. “Can I talk to you for a second?” he says. I step away from the huddle. “Hey, listen, my daughter’s going to BYU,” he whispers. Next thing I know he starts trying to convince me that I should meet his daughter. “I’d like you to take her out,” he says.
I cannot believe this. We’re in the middle of a game! “Oh, okay,” I said. “What’s her name?’’ He tells me and I return to the huddle … Late in the game we’re down 31-23 and I’m trying to mount a comeback. I scramble out of the pocket and take a brutal hit. It causes me to fumble just before the whistle blows to stop the play. I am lying on the ground when the defense recovers the loose ball, all but sealing our defeat. Suddenly out of nowhere a yellow flag lands next to me. The referee whose daughter is headed to BYU calls a personal foul on the defense. First down, Tampa Bay. I get up and brush myself off. Then the ref walks past me and whispers she likes Italian food.
Remember, this was 1985, a year before the NFL first adopted an instant replay system. As strangely funny as this story may be, it’s also more than a little concerning. Granted, the game in question was between two teams that finished a combined 6-24 that season, but if Young is to be believed, this ref was willingly messing with the outcome of a game that surely a few gamblers put some money on. Not only that, but he was pimping out his own daughter in the process. The 1980s were something else.In the end, the Bucs didn’t score another point and lost to lowly Indianapolis by the same 31-23 score. Unfortunately, we never quite find out if Young went on that date. Guess we’ll have to read the book.
Let’s hope the league ridded itself of officials who might give the Dallas Cowboys a favorable spot in exchange for Dak Prescott taking their daughters to a hoedown. At least we can all agree Roger Goodell is the sort of trustworthy commissioner to make sure this sort of thing never happens again.
Freedom!!!
I’m still aslo stewing about the phantom P.I. call on Joe Haden.
He played perfect coverage, was turned and facing the ball, and didn’t touch the receiver. Pass Interference.
I have no words for it, aside from horseshit.
Soup….I am going to read this tomorrow when I am on the shitter at work….promise me I won’t become constipated.
Hue Jackson is a loser.
This topic veers towards one that I’ve had with a friend of mine many times over.
Let me preface this by saying that my friend is a voracious gambler. I swear to God, hand on heart, that we’re friends because 11 years ago I had started a new job and after working there for 4 days this dude showed up on my front porch at 5am in pajamas asking to borrow $200. I was so taken aback by it that I gave it to him. Mostly just out of morbid curiosity.
He gave me my money back two days later and we’ve been friends ever since. In fact he’s my daughters godfather, and I’m going to be his best man in his wedding later next year. (Don’t judge, we all make questionable decisions in life, he’s the type of guy you want in it though I swear lmao).
Anyway, the point is, he’s a gambler. And a serious one.
We argue all the time about the game(s) being fixed. Especially when it comes to football. He is, unquestionably, of the opinion that the NFL is basically the WWE, and that before kickoff, all outcomes are completely pre-determined by the league office. Goodell is basically Vince McMahon in his opinion, and the NFL is a machine that just dupes all of the fans and plays to the strengths of the people who are really in charge: the owners. The companies they represent, and the incredible amount of money that flows between all of them. If you listen to him talk, it all actually sounds very believable. It’s a solid argument and honestly really doesn’t sound crazy, even for an elaborate conspiracy theory (which, always are). He’s not only adamant about it, he’s convinced that it’s just true. Throw in Vegas, and the powers that be running things there, and you really have yourself a pretty interesting topic of conversation. His point is when he’s gambling, he’s not playing the games, he’s playing the powers behind the curtain.
But that’s where I come in, and blow most of it up.
I think that’s all bullshit. My contention is that, even if “they” wanted to, they couldn’t. Ther are too many working parts in it.
For starters, the players would have to be involved. Not necessarily all of them, but most. That’s impossible. You’re mixing guys who make 15 million a year on the same field with guys who just got a shot to play off the practice squad. They don’t give 2 fucks about millionaire guy, they just want to make the team and have a chance to be millionaire guy too.
#2, all of those players are both alpha males, and the majority are idiots. You see players lose their cool all the time. Every day. Every game. Even when they’re already getting paid and their coaches tell them to be cool. 1st sign of perceived “disrespect” and it’s “nah fuck that nigga, I don’t play that shit you ain’t doin’ that to me muthafucka fuck yo wife, fuck you, and fuck a fine, I ain’t rollin that that bruh”.
You can’t contain that. You can’t. Vontez Burfict is a dog. He’s an upper echelon alpha dog. He’s also a fucking retard. His coaches can’t even control him and get him to do what they say, do you honestly think somebody in his ear before gameday telling him “when this happens, do this” has any chance whatsoever of getting him to follow? Dafuq does he care? He’s getting millions. You’re not controlling a guy like that, I don’t care what you pay him. And neither does he. And the league is made up of mostly players like that. It’s impossible. It just can’t be done.
#2 The refs. They all have to be in on it. You can’t have 1 or 2 in on it. You can’t. It just won’t work. It can’t work. It’ll be sniffed out immediately. Be serious and think about this for a minute. It really is impossible.
#3. The losing teams would have to unquestionably be the highest paid. Without argument, hands down. They’d HAVE to be. If you’re gonna lay down, you gotta get paid for that shit. Any of you guys see anyone on the Browns signing stupid, ludicrous, insane league-leading deals? (don’t say Dwayne Bowe, I swear to Christ, don’t say Dwayne Bowe. Different argument, differnt circumstances……just don’t, you’re wrong). No. No you don’t. You see all the winners getting paid. Explain to me, what, what is the incentive, to be a loser?
#4 Going back to these guys being idiots…………someone would slip up. I mean c’mon, let’s be real here. We’d be talking about mercenaries at this point. Dudes giving zero fucks just for a paycheck. To a certain extent that’s true, but these guys are morons, and have cameras and microphones shoved in their face after ever game, at every press conference, at restaurants, and you’re gonna tell me that in all these years, no one, ever, not even one time, spilled the beans? Never slipped up? Ever? Impossible. It’s mathematically impossible for that to be the case.
#5 The advertising/TV execs.
Let’s be clear, good matchups mean more money, I’m not gonna dispute that one bit. But overall, these snaky shits don’t give 1 fuck who wins. What they care about is who, and how many are watching. That’s what butters their bread. It doesn’t matter to them one way or another who fucking wins. They just want the revenue. And if you fuck with that, if you tamper with it, if you cast a cloud of being disingenuous, that could impact them greatly. In fact, it would probably destroy their golden goose. If word even came out that someone was even trying to, their assholes would become water tight.
All of those factors taken in, ………….it’s impossible for it to be rigged. Impossible. Can, not, happen.
Now, am I saying that things can’t be “influenced“? Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell no. Because I think they totally can be and are and doing it, that’s easy. Flag here, flag there, no whistle, that play can’t be reviewed, yes it was a catch, no he didn’t lead with his helmet………absolutely. Absolutely it can and does happen. Without question.
But it can only go so far. My point is, on any Sunday, the NFL may want the Jets to lose, and may very well try their best to have them lose, but it might not matter because the Jets could still go out and win 45-0 with or without the handicap.
I believe they influence them for sure. Look at last night. Beckham gets hit out of bounds twice. He gets angry about it and he gets a 15 yard penalty.
Freedom!!!
The worthless NFL DEFENDED the call. that tells you right there they are influencing games through officiating mandated by the NFL.
We made C’Mon Man
Worst part about it? The fact that you can clear as day see Duke Johnson recover the ball on the replay (even without looking at the fact he’s holding the ball up). Disgusting.
Freedom!!!
Even more fun – an article on our upcoming game against NE about how no team has played them tougher than we have. Here’s the portion that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt the NFL rigs against us:
The Browns won 34-14 in 2010 when Peyton Hillis had 184 yards rushing and two touchdowns. They lost 27-26 in New England in 2013 after leading 26-14 with 2:39 to go. That was the game when an incorrect pass interference penalty set up New England’s go-ahead touchdown.
Whole article here:
Freedom!!!
I don’t think you can even dispute that they try to influence games anymore.
Look, I haven’t seen the close up replay of the fumble, so I can’t say for certain it would have been overturned, but it 100% should have been reviewed, and by not reviewing it the NFL showed their hand.
Their statement about it reveals their own error. They said “their wasn’t a clear recovery, so they didn’t review it because it wouldn’t have been overturned.” Umm, hello? That’s making the judgement before the case is presented. At that point, the only thing they need to determine is if the play should be reviewed, not whether or not there is a clear recovery.
Nope, they decidedthey didn’t even need to look at it further. Absolutely 100% bogus.
Here’s the thing though. It was reviewed.
All turnovers are reviewed. As Hugh Jackson explained, the ref told him that they reviewed it upstairs and that there was no conclusive evidence to overturn the call on the field. Hugh was not able to challenge it, so that was that.
So it’s actually even worse than you guys think, because it not only happened, but it was reviewed and actually fucking upheld.
How many cartoons have you seen that happen in? 10 bad guys pile on the good guy, the good guy sneaks out of the pile, the bad guys pummel each other for 2 minutes while the good guy sips lemonade. I didn’t think it could happen in real life.
One thing that does piss me off is every time you search for that video on line you have some jackass talking over it and saying girls should never be refs. I don’t think being a girl has anything to do with it. I’ve seen male refs make calls worse than that.
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