Controversial Ending in Florida Playoff Game

[Ed Hickland]

Originally Posted by grantsrc

Geez, guys (not us, the paper that produced this video), this is a high school game. It's great that they took the time and effort to become educated about the rules pertaining to this situation. It certainly looks like a simultaneous catch to me, but I'm sitting in front of a computer and not on the field of play. But was surprises me, is that the paper went through such extrodinary measures to show what they feel is an error in a high school game! It seems that these types of critical articles are popping up more and more in relation to high school games. Errors occur unfortunately. I don't understand team's desires to immediately call their lawyer when they feel they've been robbed. It's detrimental to HS sports.

Should have been a touchdown.

Having experienced the critical review of a controversial as in wrong call from a newspaper web site that slowed the video down to 1/5 normal speed I can tell you this is something we can expect a lot in the future. Don't you wish you had the luxury of sitting at your computer and reviewing the call!?

Officiating is a human endeavor, therefore, it comes with some degree of error. On this particular play it could well be the simultaneous catch rule was not well understood or the official had not experienced it before. Ask yourself how often you have seen one and what did you do the first time you did see one.

As if lawyers don't invade our lives enough this could become a new practice, the bad officiating practice, where a lawyer is on the coaching staff ready to assemble whatever is needed to appeal to the athletic authority when required. And you thought the hot coffee spill at McDonalds was too much!