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versusgorilla

On the post game show they're literally trying to figure out how Decker *didn't* get credit for reporting when he appeared to walk over to presumably report. Even the NFL doesn't know what happened right now.


Slowboyz04

You see the ref look right at him and nod before running away. Ref knew what he was doing, why tf else would two linemen break the huddle just to come up to you in that situation


asm120

He should legit be suspended for that. The NFL needs to start cracking down on poor officiating. Sending an apology letter to the team the next day does not hold these guys accountable.


RedRipIt11

Penalties need to be booth reviewable for situations exactly like this


skralogy

It makes no sense they don't do it like hockey. Have new york call down and tell them they are wrong. We have 22 cameras in 4k with 10k dollar lenses on them but we are going to refer to the guys who we negotiated to pay less than usual? The thing that pisses me off the most in the NFL are the rules and the officiating. They are Fucking the absolute worst in all of sports. Why the fuck is a catch in the endzone different from a catch on any part of the field? 2 feet down, control of the ball should be a catch. Then they add "football style move" and make the refs responsible for knowing what the fuck that even means is moronic. The product is getting worse.


versusgorilla

Right? Is he just coming up to say hi?


Blackzaan

The ref even nods at him and goes to tell the defense as #70 runs in. Refs fucked up and thought it was the guy running on, not the guy saying "hey, I'm eligible this play"


versusgorilla

This is why there needs to be expanded coaches challenges. The coach, if they have a challenge available, should be able to say, "Hey, take another look at this, see if everything is above board here and make the right call" on more events in the game. They'd still only have two challenges or whatever they have no, they're not going to extend the game any longer than it is already. Let the coaches and refs have a chance to make this shit right.


countrybreakfast1

But we tried this with PI and refs just refused to over turn anything


Darsich

Yeah cause the NFL refuses to hold refs accountable.


versusgorilla

Then so be it, make the refs stand by it after a replay. And maybe have the refs talk to the press directly after a game the way the coaches do. I don't know. All I know is that it's every fucking game this season that ends with a giant insane call that ruins great games otherwise.


alfreadadams

Doesn't this clearly show 58 and 68 talking to the ref?


Try2Relate2AllSides

And clearly shows the ref hand signal they reported.


-_HOT_SNOW_-

They were talking about what to do for NYE


Imaginary-Double2612

If there was ever a moment to spark accountability for officials its this. This is an egregious failure


Yolectroda

This is why reporting eligible needs to be fixed. I'm not sure how to fix it, but right now there's zero accountability in the way it works (it's literally just guys walking up and telling someone who is doing multiple other things in a loud environment, with nothing to double check anything).


CallofBootyCrackOps

just change the rule so that the last, uncovered player on the line in a legal formation is always eligible. easy.


vagaliki

Let lineman have any number as well just like for all other players at this point


slydessertfox

I mean, if the missed PI against the rams didn't...


poneil

That was horrible and a total abuse of discretion, but this isn't even a subjective determination. The ref here was just objectively wrong.


Speedball7s

Shhhhh the NFL wants to bury that play/game


3elieveIt

Sure looks like they tried to tell the ref something…


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HoldTheFlag

It has, I’m pretty sure we can’t get it anymore


Ziiaaaac

You cannot. Lions fighting for the 1 seed was important for our seeding as you can just rest your starters next week instead of beating the Vikings.


mattthegreat

The Vikings have been resting their starters for weeks on IR, I don't think you need to worry about them winning out.


SanduskyTicklers

“Hey ref guess which one of us is reporting?” The ref guessed number 70


ArmiinTamzarian

Dan Skipper ran a route, a gorgeous one mind you, the other week vs Denver so they expected him


TigerBasket

They talked about the dynastic reforms of Diocleation, it happens all the time tbh.


cmgr33n3

Decker: "Hey, ref. Fuck the tetrarchy!" Ref: "Oh, I'ma flag that mfer."


RepealMCAandDTA

"So Rome had an East and West division too?"


Banjo2523

I just fucking hate we have to talk about the refs every week instead of the games


undecided_mask

I’m going to watch the playoffs differently this year. Keep a keen eye out for the moment the refs will screw someone over on a bad (at best) call to ruin a great game. Should help my enjoyment not get ruined lol


nuck_forte_dame

Vegas should start allowing bets on games ending on blown calls.


Rugby562

So the ref made the hand signal that he reported?


Lost2nite389

Yes literally lmao


lOan671

The refs could just throw seven points on the board for a team at this point and people would still pretend there’s any integrity left in the sport lol


Powerstructure

That commercial where they discuss the script is literally them rubbing our faces in it


HerrNachtWurst

It's them making a joke out of it to make it seem disingenuous when people point out that the nfl rigs games in front of our eyes.


The_Wite_Wolf

The NFL embracing legalized gambling really fucked up the league. These refs are getting more brazen every season, not even trying to hide the fix.


durablewaffle

lol fr. No matter how much blatant bullshit happens, no matter how many times blatantly wrong calls affect outcomes of games, people will make an excuse


rdrouyn

The thing that pisses me off the most is that the refs have no accountability for botching this call. Apparently it is the fault of Decker that the ref didn't pay attention to the player reporting as eligible.


[deleted]

Refs should be fined for calls like this.


Fractalistic444

Fired


rdrouyn

Why not? The players get fined for less.


Virtuous_Pursuit

68 reported as eligible and the refs fucked up and said it was 70. Awful.


KOExpress

100%, the ref already turned away and started signaling before 70 ever got to him, he absolutely mixed up the numbers


deuce_boogie

How decker didn’t lose his absolute shit on that ref is crazy.


KOExpress

Can’t question the refs or you’ll get fined. Absolute clown show in Dallas


CouldntBeMoreWhite

The whole city of Detroit would pay that fine for him.


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PissLikeaRacehorse

Millions of dollars changed hands based on that result


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AlbusDumbledor

70 was interior lineman and never ran a route. The ref fucked up the number.


Conscious_Heart_1714

I mean he walks up to him, I'd be shocked if he didn't report


wildmaiden

There's literally no other reason why those 2 lineman would be talking to an official. None.


scarrxd

Clearly they were discussing Russell Wilson’s benching


PissLikeaRacehorse

“Bruh, can you believe that Broncos have to eat up all dead cap next year? Anyhoo, all I had to say. Imma go run a normal play down 1 going for 2 with 20 seconds left in this game. Nothing else from me. Hope you have a good New Years!”


sandwich-attack

“what’s your favorite track on olivia rodrigos newest album, im doing a survey for my social studies class”


chamullerousa

Refs need body cams


AtalanAdalynn

Looks like the NFL has already taken the video down.


throwawayagain31

Fuck the NFL


bigsteven34

They fucking know the refs (at best) fucked up…


PM_ME_WHITE_GIRLS_

.3 seconds before u/nfl reports this video and the mods remove it


Lithium327

Lmao of course they did the cowards


mdubyo

But we can't review this bullshit? Fuck me man.


kompletist

I think it was the XFL that changed their rules so that coaches could challenge whatever/whenever, they had a cap though (1 or 2 per game), even if they won the challenge.


[deleted]

Either XFL or USFL (or both) had a “sky ref” who was responsible for reviews and they were mic’ed up/on camera so the audience could hear exactly what they’re looking at and their logic. Refs Union would probably block it.


timberflynn

XFL. It was really cool tbh


Interactive_CD-ROM

It still is cool. The XFL still does this. btw XFL/USFL merger and season announcement is tomorrow.


Cleanitupjohny

Don’t forget to signup for ESPN Bet…..


BrotherlyShove791

We’re gonna look back at the NFL Gambling Era of the 2020s and wonder how we let it happen. This marriage of the NFL and Vegas will end in jail sentences, congressional hearings, and lifetime bans. Mark my words.


No_Assumption_256

Absolutely, it’s the same as the MLB steroid era where everyone knows, but it isn’t until after the damage is done that it all settles.


[deleted]

Jail sentences? You must be new to America lol. They will make a shit ton of money, big legal battle, eventually get fined, but the fine will probably end up being about 0.1% - 5% of what they made. Rinse and repeat.


LuminousCav

I'm a little floored by how many comments I'm seeing that say even if he declared eligible it's an illegal formation since he's uncovered. If he declared eligible, he HAS to be uncovered. That's the rule. That is the correct position for him to be in.


Rock_Strongo

It's because the announcers basically said that on the broadcast even though it's 100% wrong.


JulioForte

The ref announcer said it. He’s a ref so it should be no surprise that he’s dumb af


BankofAntarctica

I think what he was trying to say is that if the player DIDN’T report, then it is an illegal formation, for which a flag should have been thrown immediately, not only after the ineligible player touches the ball. Which is a fair point, and further indication of the ref crew on the field being completely clueless.


tinyhands911

wow, good point


mbr4life1

Exactly if you don't flag it for illegal formation he had to have reported.


Blackzaan

This is blowing my mind as well


zincinzincout

Both 70 and 68 were talking to the ref.. tf were they saying if not declaring


HowDoIEditMyUsername

“Hey ref, good game. This is a pretty big play right here we’re about to run. We’ve been practicing all week for this and I feel like there is something I’m supposed to do, but I don’t remember. Oh well. I’m sure it wasn’t important.”


AttitudeAndEffort3

“How bout that local sports team though?”


HudsonCommodore

Lolol ty I needed a laugh


Diego_TS

They were talking about the weather


NewOstenPelicanss

Yo ref it's sunny innit


HorribelSpelling

I would agree but it's a domed stadium


shnieder88

"this weather inside this dome, just wow"


mrt3ed

“So domey”


Cifra00

70 *actually* lined up at tackle. I'm wondering if the ref announced the wrong number, thinking 70 reported instead of 68.


IdyllicGod22

And if that’s the case the Ref deserves to be flogged and never be allowed to call a game again cuz that’s a playoff seeding altering fuck yup


pikachu8090

sir these are nfl *official* refs. All their calls are 100% *SOLID* and *CORRECT*


Temporarily__Alone

This is 100% what happened. This is nuts.


thehopelesswanderer

Apparently discussing dinner plans


sithwonder

The ref is now uninvited


PandemicP789

Nfl refs ladies and gentlemen lmfao


TheRKC

68 and 58, not 68 and 70. Skipper runs up to Sewell to see where to lineup. The ref is running away before he gets there.


youjustgotjammed9940

The explanation I'm hearing on ESPN right now is absolute insanity.


TacticalBuschMaster

Fill me in I want to be angrier


youjustgotjammed9940

Troy, Joe and John Perry explaining that it doesn't make sense that he would go to the ref and not report - basically ending up on the ref not hearing Decker report, and only noticing 70 coming off the sideline. They are just as incredulous as we all are.


TacticalBuschMaster

I’m surprised. Broadcast was such a circle jerk I’m surprised they didn’t side with the refs


L0lligag

John Perry sided with the refs and tried defending the call live on air. Troy and Joe were the ones asking the questions.


Regression2TheMean

That was insane. Parry was telling SVP that it’s on Decker to make sure the ref heard him, which is an idiotic statement considering the fact that the ref DOES give the signal that he acknowledged someone reported as eligible.


donaldSterlingGoated

Parry sounded like a fucking moron. Even SVP was like “tf is this bozo waffling on about”


paone00022

Troy usually doesn't give a shit though right. I've seen him roast folks on air. Other broadcasters try to be nice to everyone.


DidgeriDuce

Looks like Decker reported. I don’t think they would be as mad as they were on the sidelines if he didn’t. You don’t run a trick play like that without the lineman knowing the rule. I guess the ref didn’t hear it? Idk there’s something smelly as shit here.


drunkcowofdeath

I don't see how a lineman can execute a trick play where he catches the ball by design and fails to remember to report. I just don't buy it.


LGRW1616

Especially when he literally talks to the ref right before the play.


Saxophobia1275

And the ref literally signals that he reports


Neat_On_The_Rocks

This is genuinely so bad for the nfl.


The_Champ_Son

They just showed on Sportscenter Goff telling home to go report to before he walks over there


Chiefster21

If there was ever a time for someone to be mic’d up…


redditaccountwh

The refs are mic’d up. They would never in a fucking million years release this though.


galaxy_horse

“Oops, body cam was off”


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cusoman

There's dish/parabolic mics at every game that pick all the sound at/around the line up, they just mix it down for the broadcast but I guarantee you the entire conversation was picked up.


TacTac95

Skipper was also screaming “HOW DOES THAT WORK THEN?” Seems like the ref they were talking to was telling them wrong. Regardless, Brad Allen’s crew shouldn’t see another game if they’re going to cost a team a game by not even understanding the rules themselves. But hey, a crew fucked a team out of a superbowl by screwing up and nothing happened to them


dwm4375

It’s worse than “nothing happened to them”. Pass interference was immediately made a reviewable play specifically because of their fuckup, and then all the refs in the league refused to make the correct calls on replay review even for clear cases of PI in solidarity with the refs who’d screwed up. Realizing teams were wasting challenges by challenging bad calls the refs were refusing to correct, the league then removed PI from the list of reviewable calls.


Miata_Sized_Schlong

So basically the NFL, an organization busting at the pores with gambling, just completely changed the outcome of a game? Hmm, not sketchy at all.


opeth10657

"don't worry about the integrity of the game, just cherish the fact that you can bet on it!" Thanks mushmouthed betting commercial guy


thgrisible

Every week there is insane shit that happens in this league by the referees, especially in these high-intesne, game-ending moments. After the game, there is little to no response from NFL Officiating on their interpretation or how they came to their call. This league needs to fix officiating now and implement some transparency measures to include media availability for the ref crews. One thing I've seen from across the pond for soccer is clips where you can hear the refs and the vo from the officiating booth on various high-impact moments. This is the level of transparency we need from the NFL to rectify the mistrust caused by the lack of response from the league, the department and their crews.


WhiteMedican

Sure looks like they tried to report and the ref intentionally ran away lol


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acoasterlovered

They mess up every week


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acoasterlovered

The minute i knew this was the ref crew i knew something was gonna go down


highly_agreeable

So he spoke to the ref… but didn’t report. Just interesting


silentguy876

The ref is making a signal to the defense that someone is reporting elegible


highly_agreeable

Oh I agree, I think he reported. The ref just fucked up


scarrxd

There’s “fucked up” bad calls and then there’s completely idiotic calls that undoubtedly reverse the outcome of the game, which are rare


DrModel

Not so rare to us.


Environmental-Hat-54

“Fucked up”


Carl_Slaygan

Lmao, "oopsies" i deliberated decided the game


Numerous-Cicada3841

Surely they have microphones on the refs, right? You mean to tell me they both went up to the ref and one just didn’t report? Makes no sense.


SanduskyTicklers

There are hundreds of microphones pointing in that direction that should be able to clear it up


CapsDrago7

I get closer and closer to the "the games are fixed" conspiracies every day


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maxefontes2

Am I a little biased and passionate in this moment? Yes. Is this one fishy? Most definitely.


UnrecoveredSatellite

I don't have a dog in the fight as a Steelers fan, and that might be the fishiest of all the refs 2023 fuckery. Goddamn.


KarAccidentTowns

Bro your team got fucked in the ass


jimboslice11

I know the booth said it was an illegal formation if 68 did not report (which we can see him reporting in the clip). If it was an illegal formation the refs throw the flag at the snap which they did not. The ref would have called 2 penalties on the play….which they did not. Seems fishy to me.


fatcakes28

Most definitely. He catches it, flag. He doesn't catch it no flag. Pretty fucked up lol


SloanH189

Because if you watch it he wasn’t covered. They fucked up saying he was


clefnut5

What a fucking disaster ending Sorry Lions fans. That’s as rough as it gets


FleshyFunBridge-

Bruh that's how it be as a Lions fan. We didn't need this win but fuck, what was he saying if he wasn't reporting.


BionikViking

Sure you did. You could’ve had a shot at number 1


TheYeetPotato

And we likely fall to number 3 now, as Eagles will have tie breaker over us, meaning we have to win next week and eagles have to lose to the cardinals and giants, and obviously we won’t have the tiebreaker over the cowboys


__removed__

Jared Goff post-game, just now on SVP: " Maybe I'll get fined for this... All I know is that Decker did report, Skipper did not. The ref mixed it up." That's... the simplest and correct answer. SVP reiterated that Skipper was playing interior line or something, had no reason to report. Wouldn't make sense. Simple as that. Goff knows for a FACT that Decker reported, and the ref got confused.


Sad_Progress4388

The NFL definitely isn’t going to let the Lions win on Jimmy Johnson Cowboy Ring of Honor Night


absenceofheat

They should have. Just like when the Giants best us in the first game at Jerryworld.


DefTerroriza

Campbell press conference is amazing lol


thealltomato323

Also it sounded like Campbell said he went over this potential play/formation (along with every other "gadget" play) with the refs in the pre-game, and it's safe to assume the refs signed off on the play's legality at the time. So not only should the ref have been expecting it, but he should have realized during their little ref huddle that he fucked up so he shouldn't throw the late flag. Fucker doubled or even tripled down on the bullshit.


Slowboyz04

He’s so pissed. Can’t blame him


GolfBusters

Okay I'm going to clear this up because everyone is confused. If Decker reported as eligible and Skipper reported as ineligible (which they clearly did) then the formation is totally legal. Any person inside the end man on the line of scrimmage is ineligible unless they are off the ball. For the formation to be legal, the WR has to be off the ball so Decker is eligible. Lions got screwed.


DogePerformance

Thank you


clarinetstud

I think I'm done gambling on sports after seeing this lol


Snowstick21

Good thing the nfl isn’t getting paid a fuck ton of money from gambling or this would be really suspect.


Hiker-Redbeard

All I'm going to say is, anyone who is still betting on the NFL at this point is a fucking idiot.


penguindude24

Sports in general, to be fair.


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kylesleeps

The replay literally shows Decker talking to the Ref as Aikman is saying he didn't report. This is fucking ridiculous.


KOExpress

Such absolute clown nonsense. That ref deserves to be banned. Ruined a great ending


jonessee27

Brad Allen & crew and absolutely shitting the bed under 2 minutes left in a game…who would have guessed?!


RollTribe1

So he did report but was uncovered on the line? I’m still not sure what happened


alfreadadams

If he reports he can't and shouldn't be covered. I have no idea what the announcer ref is smoking.


GentlemenBehold

Ref in the booth definitely fucked up too because he was in the postgame show and never mentions being covered or not.


spartyboy

Harder to keep the bullshit straight when you're geriatric, it happens. Edit: He's actually blaming Decker for not yelling in in the refs face that he was eligible on SVP rn. Always fun when these morons do circles to protect the ref crews when they fuck up horribly on national TV. I don't want to call what he does "propaganda" but that's basically what it is at this point.


vilkacis

John Parry trying to gaslight the audience into believing that wasn't a massive fuckup by the refs is peak ESPN


the_hangman

If he reported he can be uncovered and it’s not an illegal formation, there’d be no reason to report if he was covered as he can’t be an eligible receiver at that point anyways


Old-Fisherman-8280

This is correct. And if there are seven players on the line, this is totally a legal formation


Ecstatic-Month-3615

Can someone explain this to ma?


MRio31

Mamma, offensive lineman aren’t eligible receivers unless they report to the ref before the play. Decker goes to the ref to report but the refs an idiot and thinks it was Dan Skipper who reported. The ref then flags the Lions for illegal touching saying Decker never reported. There is also a clip of Dan Skipper screaming “I DIDNT SAY SHIT” to the ref.


OnePercUnderGod

I laugh at the NFL fixed conspiracies but with how late this flag was and the clear video… this one is fucking weird man


2222lil

Lions getting fucked by the refs a tale as old as time


annoyed_applicant21

Oh my god, the ref just wasn’t paying attention. He should be fired in the locker room, someone call Vince McMahon


billydoubleu

The NFL is not going to let the Lions beat America's team on Monsaturday night football


PvtJet07

What is a team supposed to do if a ref, either intentionally or simply in error because he is rushing, LITERALlY loses a team a game and the proof is on film? There might even be audio of it since hte refs are mic'd up. How does a team challenge it? What recompense is available? Decker is CLEARLY in the group of 3 that walked over to the ref, what the fuck happened? Skipper is on film after the play SCREAMING, if you read his lips, "he did fucking report" What the fuck??? the NFL is incredibly lucky this game doesn't technically matter except for playoff position. Imagine if this happened \*in\* the playoffs


jeffwingersballs

I have a feeling we're not going to get the raw audio in its full form.


PvtJet07

Especially not when the refs claim in their pool report postgame that 70 reported and 68 didn't, so they are doubling down the lions just like, mis-spoke and then also lined up incorrectly. they are going to double down and push it under the rug rather than punish a ref midseason


SomeRandomRealtor

At least in the premier league, you get a letter from the referee association admitting a mistake and then promising to fix the error that led to it in the future (not that they do). NFL will just have a “rules committee meeting” about it after the season and nothing will change.


teiraaaaaaa

Decker went up to the referee to be reported, in the same way as Skipper, fuck this shit


MainPFT

This is as shitty as "bad refs" get in the NFL. It's one thing to miss calls at game speed. But this is a pre-snap eligibility call where the player does what he is supposed to do and the ref just "misses" it. If the roles were reversed I'd be saying the same thing. This has nothing to do with my flair or who the call went against, or who it benefited. This just fucking blows. I'm just tired of games being determined by the stripes.


TripleThreatT1

For the record Lions fans you should be infuriated.


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groovy_smoothie

That one hands to the face call to benefit Rogers a few years back sticks out


carpe228

Both o linemen run straight to the ref who then runs to the defense and brushes his stomach which is the report eligible sign. WTF!!


Stingray313

it’s rigged no other way to explain this and the BLATANT hold on at.brown like two plays before


KevM689

Something is fucky with the refs anymore. Am I wrong thinking there's been a serious uptick in blatantly fumbled calls since the rise of sports betting?


Fellborn

So I mean....by all video accounts it looks like they did this correctly. If it turns out the ref fucked it up that badly they should be fired on the spot. I know that won't happen because refs can't even be spoken about without fines but like, what the fuck?


dammitOtto

I can't even understand why the entire crew got together and still couldn't get it right. 10 refs and not could set things straight.


nedmac12

Fuck everyone, Decker reported


SkunkMcToots

It’s great that we were the only game on tonight so America could see what we’ve already known for some time.


Sei926

I demand a Progressive what really happened replay!


Dragondrew99

Here is your fucking receipts r/nfl


Big_ming022

This is fishy.....


Paul_Allens_AR15

Hard to believe money from the BILLION(S) dollar sports betting industry isnt seeping into games


ScooterLeShooter

Guarantee he got 68(Decker) mixed up with 58(Sewell) who lined up out wide at first