Ed Hochuli Bad Call, Good Guy

There's big hullaballoo over ref Ed Hochuli's bad call during the Charger's game against the Broncos. It's not just that the man made a bad call; it was a call that quite probably cost the Chargers the game.

Here's what happened

While fans are nitpicking another one of his calls earlier in the game, it was the call towards the end of game that has him in hot water. With just 1:17 left in the game, Ed blew his whistle, prematurely ending the play. Denver quarterback Jay Cutler fumbled the ball which was then recovered by Tim Dobbins, the San Diego linebacker, on a second-down play. Ed Hochuli blew his whistle during the play, signaling that the play was dead. Hochuli admitted his mistake and spotted the ball at the point of fumble but could not award possession to San Diego according to the rules of the game.

Here's Ed's statement on the play:
"The ruling on the field was that it was an incomplete pass. We went to replay; it should have been ruled fumble. By rule, by the instant replay rules, on that particular play where there's a pass/fumble, a quarterback pass/fumble the rules do not permit you to give the ball to the other team. All we can do to fix it is put the ball at the spot that it hit the ground, which is why we moved it back to the 10-yard line and the down counts and it becomes third down." Source broncotalk.net/2008/09/ed-hochuli-explains/

So who is Ed anyhow?

Most football fans don't know the refs as intimately as they know the players. That being said, Ed does have a bit of a cult following. There's even Ed-related merchandize on the web! Ed's been a ref since 1990 and he's got a good rep with coaches and players. He tied this year during an ESPN poll of head coaches for best ref. He's gone to bat for his fellow refs during negotiations with the brass, as he was the head of the ref's union.

The Fallout

So, will Ed get the boot? That's unlikely.

Here's the NFLRA statement to the AP:

"The NFLRA stands by Ed Hochuli as a 19-year veteran with multiple Super Bowl and countless playoff game experience who has the integrity and character to admit a mistake and accept the criticism that comes with it."

The NFL does intend to review the "inadvertent whistle rule" because of this play.

Ed's Answer?

There's a viral email going about that's supposedly Ed's emailed answer to all the criticism of his call. I've investigated some, but I don't think it's real. Time will tell! Here's the email:

I'm getting hundreds of emails - hate mail - but I'm responding to it all. People deserve a response.

You can rest assured that nothing anyone can say can make me feel worse than I already feel about my mistake on the fumble play. You have no idea . . .

Affecting the outcome of a game is a devastating feeling. Officials strive for perfection - I failed miserably. Although it does no good to say it, I am very, very sorry.

Ed Hochuli