TigerSoft News Service 9/15/2008
www.tigersoft.com
PRO FOOTBALL's DIRTY LITTLE SECRET.
Are AFC / NFL Officials
On The Take?
Truly Horrible Officials' Calls Give Denver Two Touchdowns
And Cost The San Diego Chargers A Certain Win.
One Blown Call - OK - It Happens. But Ed Hochuli Blew Two Obvious Calls.
"Fool me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice. Shame on me!"
by William Schmidt, Ph.D.
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Are NFL Officials Being Bribed? Who Will Blow The Whistle on Rogue NFL Zebras? 
 by William Schmidt, Ph.D. NFL officiating is so bad now, you can usually tell who'll lose based either on which side the officials assess the penalties on or who benefits from the execrable calls that have now become common place. The instant replay and review was supposed to help, but what happens when the home team turns off the replay camera so that there can be no replay, even after a challenge. Nothing. There is no review. The visitors get screwed. And what happens if the official blows his whistle to call a dead ball for no reason? Nothing. There is no review. Today's San Diego - Denver football game shows football is no longer a game about football. The winner is fixed in advanced. The game's outcome is pre-determined and the officials are there to make sure the script is followed, just like in a wrestling match or on Wall Street. The biased and ridiculously bad officiating is not accidental. It could only be this bad by design. It must be deliberate and sinister. What proof? I can safely predict that this game's two ridiculous calls will not be seriously investigated by the League. Will the media tackle this? No. They know who butters their bread. They will not make nearly enough about how bad and biased the officiating is. Their silence has ruined the game for the millions who expect a modicum of fairness. So, what happened that got me to write about football? What was the first clue today that the officials were there to make sure that the home-town Denver broncos would beat the San Diego Chargers? Early in the first quarter, San Diego threw a 10-yard completed pass inside its 30 yard line. The SD receiver was brought down. His elbow hit the ground. He was down on his back and the Denver tackler then stripped the ball away from him and took the ball back so close to the goal line that Denver had a touch-down before anyone could catch their breath. San Diego challenged the call. We saw on TV the replay that showed the SD receiver should have been called down before the ball was taken away. That was the much-repeated opinion of the two TV commentators broadcasting the game. But the official said the play could not be reviewed because the replay machine, which Denver was expected to maintain, was not working! How convenient for the home team! Instead of SD having the ball after a completed pass, Denver got a quick and easy seven point lead. Why didn't the official just get the TV networks to offer a replay? Why if the home team fails to make their equipment work, are they not penalized and the appeal approved? Why? Because the "fix" was on and the script said Denver was to be the winner. (See - http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/09/14/sports/nelson/z5f99e36f532c9938882574c5001c72c3.txt ) This was bad. But listened to what happened with less than a minute left in the game, Denver had the ball on San Diego's 2 yard-line and was behind 38-31, The Denver quarterback ran to his right and looked downfield for someone to throw the ball to. In his hurry to get the pass off as a burly SD linebacker rushed towards him, he whipped the ball back to throw it, but it fell out of his hands, very clearly before he started moving his passing arm forward. The SD player grabbed the ball off the ground and was tackled and went out of bounds. Just as they had earlier, the TV announcers did a review in slow motion of the play from several angles. They all immediately agreed that the Denver quarterback had fumbled it and it was San Diego's ball. "Not so quick", said the official. On review he claimed that the ball had been whistled dead. Why? Absolutely no explanation. It was not a fumble. And it was also not considered an incomplete forward pass. The ball was placed back at the 10 year line where the quarterback had dropped it. If it had been considered an incomplete forward pass, the ball should have been given to Denver on the 2-yardline. But the official did not try to claim that the quarter- back had the ball as he was moving his arm forward. No. This would not have been tenable stance. The replay showed that he clearly lost it as he was taking his arm back. So, then it was a fumble? "No", said the official, it wasn't a fumble, even though that's what it looked liked to everyone else It was an "official's whistle-blown dead-ball." Why the whistle? No explanation was given. So Denver got to keep the ball and then scored the winning touchdown and points-after. The official claimed that once the whistle was blown the other team could not take possession. But that is patently untrue. In March 2007, it was ruled that a fumble caused by contact is live on review, even when the whistle is mistakenly blown. The same rule should have applied here. The quarterback dropped the ball because he was about to be hit hard. The official who blew both calls was Ed Hochuli. He is an attorney. He ehochuli@jshfirm.com TEL: 602-263-1719 FAX: 602-263-1784 specializes in civil litigation in areas where bad faith is involved. He's an expert. all right, in bad faith. He was standing less than 20' from the quarterback when he blew his whistle prematurely. This was no accident. In his career, he has surely called thousands of plays involving quarerback fumbles. He blew the earlier call. And then to fix the game's outcome he blew his whistle and blew this call deliberately. He could have reversed himself. That he refused to is proof, he blew this call deliberately. The League should fire him. Instead he will get a letter from the Commiss downgrading his performance for admitting he made a mistake, not for the error itself. The letter means nothing. He just won't officiate at other games involving these teams. That's the League's typical response. Hoculi was previously banned by the League officials after 2001 from officiating a San Diego-Denver game because of his terrible calls back then. The owner of the Denver team admits that Hochili has long been one of the most criticized of the league's umps. See - http://forums.contracostatimes.com/topic/bad-calls-nfl-referees Video of the 2 plays. Now Yahoo reports that Hochuli is publicly contrite. But he has not resigned. That's the least he should do. But in an age when arrogant politicians and CEOs grab all they can, I wouldn't expect Hochuli to do the right thing and resign. What Players Are Saying: Shaun Phillips, a star player on the SD defense wrote this about the incident: "Damn. I can't say that the ref cheated us because that's a fine. I can't say that the Broncos didn't win that game because that's being a sore loser. I can't say that it was a mistake that the replay machine wasn't working in the first qtr cause that would be a lie. $ $ 
 Hochuli is the President of the NFL Referees' Association. This should give readers some idea about how unfairly professional football is officiated. I have long considered NFL officials to be partial, biased and determined to give one team, usually the home team, the game. See my earlier Blog - http://www.tigersoft.com/Tiger-Blogs/1-16-2008/index.html It comes as no surprise that NFL officials supported Hochuli's ruling, even though no one else on the plant has. Players have to be careful what they say. They may get the same official in the next game. But the SD Chargers were quick to speak out after today's badly distorted game. It was all too much to take. SD Coach Norv Turner: “It was a fumble, clear to everyone on our sideline, and I'm sure all the fans...Ed came over to me and said he blew it and that's not, to me, acceptable. This is a high-level performance game and it is not acceptable to have a game decided on that play.” (So, why didn't he reverse himself then. Moral cowardice? Denver fan pressure? No, I think he got money in advance and was afraid of being found shot. Officials are not full time employees of the NFL. A little extra money on the side is hard for some officals to refuse. Two blown calls is not accidental. Denver Quarterback: "I think it was a fumble,” LaDainian Tomlinson: "The NFL is always holding us accountable for stuff we do, and so at some point, the referees have to be held accountable too," he said. "Otherwise, what is the point is having referees out there?"  Clinton Hart: "The machine is not working in the first quarter when a call should have went our way ... we thought," Chargers safety Clinton Hart said. "Then, all of a sudden, it is working every other quarter." (Source: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/09/14/sports/nelson/z5f99e36f532c9938882574c5001c72c3.txt ) Other Fans' Comments: Having just written this, I decide to see if anyone else on the Internet agrees: "NO RESPECT: I have long respected Ed Hochuli as an NFL referee. That ended Sunday." "REAL SCORE II: Final Score: Chargers 38, Denver 24, Referees 15". "Not since the 1919 Chicago White Sox has there been a more blatant fix of a professional sports game. The Chargers won this game twice. Why should I be a season ticket holder | when the games are fixed? Never before have I seen such a sham!" "PAGING THE FBI: In the NBA they call officiating like that “point shaving.” Perhaps the FBI should launch an investigation." "Are you kidding me?" "Why even bother playing the game when the referee could have told us who was going to win before it started? Two major blown calls that turned a hard-fought comeback win into another loss. Can anyone remember an instance where an obvious missed call was not overturned due to an equipment malfunction? If the NFL had any integrity, it would nullify the results of this game and replay it. No more Super Bowls for Ed Hochuli." "I still have not gotten over the ridiculousness of the officiating in this game. It ranks right up there or actually EXCEEDS the holy roller and any other incompetent officiating we have had to endure as Bolt fans. This is probably the WORST officiated Bolt game in history. Simple fact. ALL announcers, commentator, and even players such as Cutler agree that call was blown at the end. This is NOT supposed to happen with a fair official replay system and with halfway competent officials What the hell was Hochuli doing? He wasn't in position to clearly see the motion of Cutler's arm, obviously. Otherwise he would have not blown the call. So if he is not sure, DO NOT BLOW THE PLAY DEAD.....that is the WORST thing that an official can do...particularly on a play at this point in the game and with consequences of such magnitude!....If the NFL does not seriously discipline this guy and/or demote him or just plain kick his *** out of the league...then something is wrong. A sample of opinions from this site: : http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2008/sep/14/chargers-1s15chfans19185/?chargers Many believe the mob can fix a game by getting to the officials. Have Ed Hochuli and his crew been bribed by the mob or are they under direct orders from the NFL to make sure that Denver beats SD? That's the only explanation many observers offer for the abysmally poor officiating in this game.... As corrupt as the White House.. NFL ... .
"In a world where corruption routinely invades our
most hallowed institutions,
Walt Coleman - January 19, 2002 "tuck-rule" ruling turned a sack and a lost
Walt Coleman and the Minnesota Vikings, 2003 to 2006
http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2007/12/04/ravens-question-officiating-in-loss-to-pats-tuck-rule-gets-a-me/2
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