Referee stood next to downed player but didn’t blow whistle
A high school football game was decided by a missed call no one saw coming.
The story
A high school football game had a controversial touchdown that should have been disallowed due to the runner being tackled, but officials let it stand, leading to a disputed win.
Source: brobible.com
Our reading
A referee stood next to a player who was clearly down, but didn’t blow the whistle. The player then handed off the ball, and the touchdown stood. The official’s presence was redundant, like a doorman at a closed store. The game was decided by a rule that no one seemed to care about until it mattered. The referee’s job was to stop the play, not to watch it unfold like a spectator. The win now has an asterisk, but the real asterisk is the official who didn’t do his job. The game was won by a missed call, not by skill or strategy.
