Give Him A Break

Friends,

With a minute left in the Broncos-Chargers game last Sunday, Broncos QB, Jay Cutler, dropped back to pass and fumbled...and the Chargers recovered. Referee Ed Hochuli blew the play dead quickly calling it an incomplete pass. All the Chargers would have had to do would be to run out the clock for the win. Instead, the Broncos, given a new lease on life, took the ball into the end zone and made a 2 point conversion for the win. After the game, Hochuli, a veteran NFL official (rated top 3), and who has done playoffs and Super Bowl, went over to apologize the Chargers coach Norv Turner saying, "I blew the call." Turner would say at his perss conference that it was "inexcusable." Perhaps...but it was an error, a mistake. Hochuli has repeatedly apologized this week, but has been continually receiving hate mail from Chargers "fans." What does it take? This ref has manned up and said he was sorry and yet continues to be vilified. Unfortunately, this is a pretty sorry statement about the direction our society has been going for quite awhile in relationship to sports...it has become life and death -- thanks to Las Vegas oddsmakers and unreasonable Fantasy Football nutcases. Hochuli made a mistake...and yet, you would think that he was worse than OJ (and I am not going there any further :-). It is unfortunate that this was a critical mistake that likely cost the Chargers the game. But, this is the nature of refereeing, officiating. The major leagues (NFL, MLB, etc.) have already instituted instant replay...and yet there will always be some human element involved. So...give the poor man a break -- let him have his life. Blessings,

Don