The last play of the Pittsburgh Steelers 11-10 win over the San Diego Chargers had no effect on the outcome of the game. The Chargers’ last-gasp, multi-lateral play to try and win the game was foiled and the Steelers had won. But the referee’s weird and wrong ruling affected millions of dollars bet on the game and has NFL fans buzzing.
In a nutshell here is what happened (see here for a more detailed explanation): The Chargers were lateraling the ball to keep the play alive. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu picked up the last lateral and scored as time expired. The touchdown and extra point would have given the Steelers an 18-10 win, but more importantly covered the five-point spread set by the Vegas oddsmakers. Steelers bettors were ecstatic and Chargers bettors stunned.
However, after what seemed like an hour consultation, referee Scott Green ruled the play dead because one of the laterals was forward (it wasn’t) and took away the touchdown (after first upholding it). Chargers bettors felt like the warden called and canceled the execution, while Steelers bettors felt screwed.
Green, in a postgame interview with a pool reporter, said that call was errant — even though his explanation for the confusion was almost as confusing as the play itself.
“We should have let the play go through in the end, yes,” Green said. “It was misinterpreted that instead of killing the play, we should have let the play go through.”
The end result was the first 11-10 game in NFL history, spanning 12,837 games. It also left Steeler bettors fuming about conspiracies, since the Steelers were flagged for 13 penalties to the Chargers’ two.
Pro Football Talk headlined its item on the play: FANS THINK FIX WAS IN FOR CHARGERS-STEELERS:
“We’ve been flooded by e-mails tonight regarding the perception that the game between the Chargers and the Steelers was in some way fixed. Again, we don’t buy it. But we can understand why some fans might believe it (albeit incorrectly), given the bizarre manner in which the last play of the game was handled, with the Steelers losing a defensive touchdown that would have caused them to cover the spread.
The NFL tries to ignore the gambling aspect that helps make the game so popular. Its network partners collude with the league and never post the betting line and its announcers only make oblique references to gambling. Yet, millions are wagered legally and illegally on the country’s most popular sport; the Super Bowl alone has more than $100 million bet on it each year.
(Update: Peter King of Sports Illustrated wrote about the Steelers-Chargers game: “One Vegas bookie said last night that $100 million was bet on this game alone, with $66 million of that bet on the Steelers.”)
I bet that the end of the Steelers-Chargers game gets a lot of media attention precisely because in the real world, gambling on the NFL can’t be ignored and is an integral part of its appeal. The NFL ignores that at its peril and will only increase the sense among some fans that the fix is in.
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
When are people going to wake up?
The integrity of all professional sports is deteriorating. MLB turning a blind eye to steriods because ratings were good. NBA pushing corrupt referee’s under the rug. And every big NFL game coming down to a judgment pass interference call.
Follow the money. How much do professional ref’s make? How much money is bet on the games? There is way too much financial incentive for these guys to get bought off.
The Steelers game yesterday was such a complete disaster, that I am now convinced that betting on these games is utter stupidity.
I disagree, I think the media and the NFL will largely ignore this.
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I think if they prove the game was fixed then Turner should be fired. It’s bad enough to lose a game to the Steelers but lose a game fixed in your favor…sigh.
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Bet against the crowd. That is, if the spread seems particularly attractive, go the other way. Because $66M of the $100M wagered on that game was for the Steelers to cover the spread, there was a $32M incentive to have the Chargers lose by less than five. And the refs don’t have to feel bad about it because (1) their ruling didn’t affect the outcome of the game, (2) anybody that places a bet is taking their chances and they deserve to lose, and (3) they don’t want to see drunken shaming pictures of their daughter who is attending college.
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
What the heck was the ruling anyway? Are they saying that the first short lateral in the play was forward? If so, the play should continue because it didn’t hit the ground. The next lateral was clearly backwards, which is the one Polamalu knocked out of the air, picked up and scored. The play was reviewed, so there’s no way that they would have ruled the second lateral to be forward.
Or, was the penalty really on Polamalu for deflecting the ball forward, volleyball-style?
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
The ruling on the field was that Polamalu was pulling a “Fumblerooski” play where he batted the ball forward before recovering and would thus be ineligible to advance the ball.
Personally, I find it funny that the first 11-10 game in NFL History has generated this level of controversy. I can’t wait to see what happens when the first 4-3 game goes down.
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
The New York Times has a nice blog item on one bettor who took SD, smashed some pottery, only to find out he won anyway:
http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/steelers-chargers-chaos-rattles-vegas-strip/
on Nov 17th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
The rule:
Illegal forward pass, the official throws the flag and lets the play continue, an opponent may intercept the pass and take procession.
The O will be penalized from the spot of the pass.
In this case both laterals were legal, the D in essence recovered a fumble and ran for a touchdown. The head official on the field called no illegal forward pass, then reviewed it, they agreed with the call, then overturned the review.
But……even if it were a illegal forward pass on the second lateral the play would continue. If they decided the first lateral was forward then the O would keep the ball.
Anyway you look at this it was a mess.
on Nov 18th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
“was the penalty really on Polamalu for deflecting the ball forward, volleyball-style?”
No, it wasn’t, but this is a more plausible explanation than any the officials mustered. If only you’d been there to coach them!
Here’s Scott Green’s explanation.
“”We didn’t kill it on the field. After discussion we decided there was some confusion over which pass we were talking about, and it was decided that it was the second pass that was illegal that did hit the ground, and therefore we killed the play there.’
Reporter: “But the second pass was legal?’
Green: “I know. The rule was misinterpreted.’
Reporter: “So it should have been a touchdown?’
Green: “We should have let the play go through in the end, yes. It was misinterpreted that instead of killing the play, we should have let the play go through.’
Does this seem remotely plausible to anyone?
After the play, an official runs onto the field, to say, correctly, that “there was an illegal forward pass. The Steelers decline the penalty. Touchdown.” (The lateral was probably legal. But it’s a little iffy, and if it wasn’t, this is the right call.)
So now the officials decide to review it.
Green seems to be saying that they mistook the first lateral for the second, and that, since the second bounced, it should have killed the play. I have some courtroom experience, and it seems like just the kind of lie a bad liar tells trying to cover his tracks. At first glance, plausible. At the second, simply a bad lie.
“it was decided that it was the second pass that was illegal that did hit the ground, and therefore we killed the play there.”
THEY WEREN’T TELLING STORIES ABOUT THE PLAY OVER A CAMPFIRE!
You’re telling me they looked at the replay of a correctly called play, and somehow decided that a lateral which travelled five yards backwards was an illegal forward pass? THEY’D JUST BEEN LOOKING AT THIS PLAY, OVER AND OVER AGAIN! ALL THREE GOT THIS CONFUSED???!!! NONE OF THEM COULD STRAIGHTEN THIS OUT!!! NONE HAD THE SENSE TO REVERT TO THE ORIGINAL, CORRECT CALL???!!!
Finally, what about only overturning a call based on clear and convincing evidence? They forgot about this rule, as well? The rule everyone has heard about 28 times per football game?
Seriously, could anybody wrongly overturn the call based on this reasoning in good faith?
Here are some facts.
1. “An estimated 100 million dollars was wagered worldwide on the Pittsburgh/San Diego game, according to RJ Bell of Pregame.com. Approximately 66% of that money was on the Steelers; with only 34% on the Chargers.
”If the touchdown was properly upheld, Steelers bettors would have won about 32 million dollars instead of losing big. This admittedly incorrect call resulted in a 64 million dollar swing in favor of the bookies.” said RJ Bell of Pregame.com.
2. There was a 23-1 penalty yardage disparity in the game (115 Steelers - 5 Chargers) Must be the record, or close to it. It’s certainly the most penalty yardage called on the Steelers in six years.
4. Both of the last two times Steelers touch the ball has officials calling back a Steelers touchdown (one which would have matched the spread, the other which would have beaten it.). Once clearly wrongly (see above). The other’s interesting, too. How many times do the refs call a hold that’s iffy at best on the home team’s winning touchdown with 30 seconds left in the game?
5. Chargers get a touchdown via a pass interference penalty that clearly didn’t happen. (The commentators point this out.) Receiver runs down the field at safety. Receiver pushes safety. Ball sails 10 yards over receiver’s head.
I don’t have to have an opinion. Just pointing out facts. Draw your own conclusions.