Michigan / Illinois IW

[TXMike]

I don't know how the Big Ten would handle it but if I were the supervisor in any conference and I had proof of an IW with the offending official not ownig up to it at that time. then his punishment would be much more severe than the guy who has the IW and then helps the crew deal with it in real time.

[Warrenkicker]

I saw the play and heard it live. I knew instantly there was an IW and knew Illinois would get a break after muffing the punt. Then I see an Illinois player asking the BJ about it and him shaking his head and saying, "No," while the Illinois player starts saying and signaling that he heard a whistle. I was waiting for a replay where it wasn't slow motion but apparently nobody on the broadcast heard it or was willing to criticize the officials, which may be part of the contract.

I don't feel sorry for the guy at all. He is supposed to be very good to be working at that level and also, based on all the reviews he has received over the years, willing to admit when he is wrong. His mistake almost got Illinois out of a huge mistake that ended up giving Michigan 7 points. If he had admitted the mistake the outcome of the game may have been different.

[JugglingReferee]

For all we know, his supervisor might read this forum.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Warrenkicker

I saw the play and heard it live. I knew instantly there was an IW and knew Illinois would get a break after muffing the punt. Then I see an Illinois player asking the BJ about it and him shaking his head and saying, "No," while the Illinois player starts saying and signaling that he heard a whistle. I was waiting for a replay where it wasn't slow motion but apparently nobody on the broadcast heard it or was willing to criticize the officials, which may be part of the contract.

I don't feel sorry for the guy at all. He is supposed to be very good to be working at that level and also, based on all the reviews he has received over the years, willing to admit when he is wrong. His mistake almost got Illinois out of a huge mistake that ended up giving Michigan 7 points. If he had admitted the mistake the outcome of the game may have been different.

Had the IW been recognized, the break would've gone U of I's way, but as it was it seemed to me that the IW may have caused U Mich. to recover a ball that otherwise a U of I player might've gotten. So I think U Mich. got the break.

Robert

[Warrenkicker]

Oh I agree that the break would have gone Illinois way there. And if the IW had been acknowledged then Michigan would not have had the short field and had the chance to score the TD only a couple of plays later. I totally agree that Michigan did nothing wrong here and I'd even say that the whistle did not change the outcome of the play by causing someone to stop playing.

I'm just saying that I feel an official screwed up and then screwed up again by not owning up to the mistake. The mistake was there as others on the forums have noted that BJ visibly put his whistle in his mouth and blew it just after the muff. Not a good situation as league supervisors seem to be able to find out about these mistakes.

[Rich]

I know this is going to sound harsh, but if I was a supervisor at the D-I level and an official didn't own up to an IW I'd likely be firing at least one official.