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Reversed Call Cost Packers Ryan Grant $1.35 Million
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by Jon Azpiri | December 30, 2008 at 12:26 pm
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During the Green Bay Packers-Detroit Lions game, referee Ed Hochuli reversed a call on the field that cost Packers running back Ryan Grant $1.35 million in bonuses.
In the third quarter of the Packers' historic victory over the hapless Lions, Grant had what he thought was a 80-yard touchdown run. After a review from officials, the run was brought back nearly 60 yards after officials ruled that he was down 21 yards past the line of scrimmage.
If the original 80-yard run had been allowed to stand, Grant would have surpassed 1,250 rushing yards for the season, which would have triggered $1.5 million worth of bonuses in his contract.
Grant could have earned a $1.5 million bonus if he reached 1,250 yards for the season. Instead, he only earned $500,000 for finishing with 1,203 yards. Grant's contract also featured a $600,000 bonus if he ranked among the top five NFC rushers. He finished sixth, just 35 yards behind Matt Forte of the Bears, and took home a bonus of $150,000. All told, Grant would have earned an extra $1.35 million in bonuses if the call had stood.
The played was reviewed because it appeared that Grant was down after running 21 yards, but he continued running another 59 yards to the end zone.
Grant, for his part, was philosophical about the call.
“Yeah, that’s the way the ball bounces,” Grant said. “I told (running backs coach Edgar Bennett), ‘If we were playing in your day, that’s a touchdown. No replay.’”
Grant said one of the game officials encouraged him to keep going on the run.
“I’ve been playing football a long time, I run to the whistle,” Grant said. “I saw the ref running with me, saying ‘Grant, you weren’t down, keep running.’ When I got to the end zone he said, ‘Good job, you weren’t down.’ I was like, ‘There you go.’
“He was running by the sideline, I wasn’t talking to him. He’s like, ‘No, no keep running.’ …First time a ref ever said anything to me.”
Some football observers felt that Hochuli made the right call.
The biggest question surrounding the play is why it was ruled a touchdown in the first place. Grant was clearly down after 21 yards, and the TV cameras showed an official pointing to the ground to signal that he was down. And yet Hochuli’s crew huddled together and called it a touchdown, forcing the Lions to use a challenge before Hochuli got the call right.
This isn't the first time that Hochuli has been involved in a controversial call. In September, Hochuli acknowledged that he made a critical mistake during a game between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers.
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at 10:28 on January 1st, 2009
Those numbers are ridiculously high.