NFL Fans Want Referee Suspended For Rest Of Season
12/16/2024 09:44 AM
NFL fans are calling for an official to be suspended for the rest of the regular season.
The Commanders topped the Saints, 20-19, at the Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday. But the finish was not without controversy. Washington stopped New Orleans on a game-winning two-point conversion attempt, sealing the win. However, should the Saints have even been in position to go for two?
New Orleans appeared to get helped by a referee late in the fourth quarter. Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler found tight end Foster Moreau on a pass attempt on 4th and 3 from the Washington eight-yard line. The completion got the first down, but Moureau was short of the end zone. The clock was ticking down, toward zero, but an official appeared to stop it.
The game clock froze at :09 for four seconds, allowing the Saints to get to the ball and spike it.
Refs stopped the game clock for 4 seconds when it should have been running
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 15, 2024
freezes at :09 while play clock ticks from :39 to :35
game should have been over
how can they make a mistake like this pic.twitter.com/aWyIGWb9Hy
Upon replay review, it looks like the referee on the bottom of the screen called for the clock to be stopped.
Some NFL fans are now calling for him to be suspended for the rest of the year.
"Suspend that ref the rest of the season," one fan wrote.
"He did exactly what the NFL wanted him to do. In their eyes he gets an A+," one fan argued.
"The league could easily prevent this from happening. The clock should not be controlled by refs on the field. There is too much on the line and technology is too good to continue allowing these mistakes. It creates doubt about the integrity of the game," one fan added.
"Suspend the ref. Do your job," another fan wrote.
The NFL has since confirmed that a clock error was made by the officiating crew.
Referee Shawn Hochuli told a pool reporter postgame that "the covering official mistakenly stopped the clock in that situation. The clock should not have stopped."
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was understandably furious.
"I am absolutely taking the high road," Quinn said. "Those three seconds are critical, let's just say that. We're on to [next opponent] Philadelphia. ... In the game, I was frustrated why [the clock had stopped], but in the moment, I don't get to ask and you don't get the feedback when it's that type of intensity."
Should the NFL referee face punishment for his mistake?
