Hochuli apologizes to fans for blown call in Chargers-Broncos game

[cboy4]

I'd probably be beyond furious if this happened to my team, but I have to give the guy credit for coming forward and taking responsibility like this. I've never heard of an official whose blown a big call be as candid as Hochuli and it's refreshing.

Having said that, professional NFL refs cannot blow such an obvious call, especially in a sport where there are so few regular season games.



Updated: September 18, 2008, 1:45 AM ET

Ed Hochuli threw a flag on himself.

After blowing a call that helped the Denver Broncos beat the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, the referee admitted he made a mistake on Wednesday and is answering e-mail from some fans telling them that, according to multiple media reports.

The NFL will give longtime official Ed Hochuli lower grades after he admitted botching a call late in the Chargers-Broncos game.

"I'm getting hundreds of e-mails -- hate mail -- but I'm responding to it all," Hochuli wrote to several Chargers fans, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. "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."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3594778

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Hochuli Is Obviously A Stand-Up Guy

He didn't run and hide from his mistake. He admitted he blew it. He said he wished the replay rule allowed him to overturn himself. And he apologized.

I think that's enough anger from the Charger fans. Mistakes happen.
The Professor

[trotsky]

5. Definitely.

I mean, if everyone who is furious with him would just ask themselves if they ever made a mistake at work. GRANTED, this is a very different situation with (obviously) much higher visibility but you can't expect any human being to be 100% perfect. Bad calls happen. This one had the unfortunate timing of being at the end of a game and clearly helping determine the outcome.

Last year when the Vikings hosted the Lions, the same thing happened - Kitna fumbled, the Vikings recovered, but the official had ruled it an incomplete pass. Lions ball at the spot of the fumble. But the Vikes won that game anyway, by a very large margin, so nobody dwelled on it.

[BOSSHOG]

2. I do get a chuckle

listening to Saints Sports Radio talking about the awesome undefeated Broncos (The Saints next opponent.)

[cboy4]

3. Undefeated with an asterisk.

I should really dislike the Chargers, because they have Republican owner (Alex Spanos) .. but I'm telling you what .. the guy has a heart of gold, donating money to build sports complexes at local colleges and allowing his private jet to pick up organ transplants for kids, etc., etc.

So yea, I feel bad for the Chargers. In the AFC, one loss could mean the difference between going to the playoffs and going home. Same goes for the NFC, for that matter.

[nickgutierrez]

6. You Saints fans are just like Cubs fans.

One minute: "Yes! We're awesome!"

The next: "Man, we're gonna get crushed."

[BOSSHOG]

8. Marie Lavou

has placed a jinx on us and the team for putting the super dome over a Voodoo graveyard. She teases them and they tease us.

[cboy4]

9. I never hear Cubs fans say that they're going to get crushed.

They talk as though they have 50 World Series Champion flags flapping all over Wrigley Field.

[Captain Hilts]

4. The blown call in the Oilers-Browns playoff game in the 80s STILL has me angry.

Blown call put the Oilers in the next round.

[Tektonik]

7. Meh the Broncs are still going to be under .500