ACC Referee Caught Cheating on Video

[jmathes]

This video absolutely makes me sick to my stomach and feel there needs to be an immediate investigation of the NCAA. I know there will always be corruption in sports but this is blatant and completely unacceptable.



"ACC ref in FSU / Wake football game sliding ball closer to first down. Caught on camera. Play still resulted in a 4th down. Wake got stood up on a 4th down run play but somehow the ball was spotted as a first down… "

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqANJsY8gZI&feature=player_embedded

"ACC refs are notorious for their bad calls in every sport on a weekly basis. It’s not something I have to point at for Florida State fans or any other fan in the ACC. However, what happened during the FSU-Wake Forest game on Saturday is uncalled for. In the video below, it is clear that the ref is attempting to move the football closer to the first down line as a couple of other refs are measuring to see if it is a first down. It was Wake Forest’s possession and the ref actually moved the ball a few inches forward, trying to go unnoticed. Despite the ref’s attempt, the ball was still short of a first down.
Moving the ball a few inches isn’t going to cost a team the game, however, it is the principle of what he did that really bothers myself and other football fans. I’m not going to point fingers and say this is why FSU lost; because it isn’t. However, ACC refs continue to showcase one poor performance after another. If you recall, there was an initial report following the FSU-Clemson game that claimed the ACC refs admitted to missing 7 calls that went against Florida State and could have given the ‘Noles a 21-point swing against the Tigers. Anyways, here is the video of the ACC ref in the FSU-Wake Forest game"

[VegasInsider]

wow, that's classic. i'm sure they'll be some sort of investigation

[Jerm3462]

Ok. Im going to disagree there.

He could have been leaning awkwardly. That ball barely moved.

Move along, nothing to see here.

[Brock Landers]

thats weak

[flyingillini]

Not thread worthy

[ebbearsfb1]

booooooooo

lame were better then that here.. i was waying for him to move the ball up a full yard then giggle

[Sunde91]

Are you kidding

Ball moved a half inch and still called 4th down. No tape of the 4th down play called a 1st, which is really the issue, useless. Refs aren't spotting so precisely that the half inch given from the previous play is the reason they got the 1st down

[mtneer1212]

And here is the best ACC official ever...............

[Machine Choice]

Holy shit, that guy was clearly inching that ball up hoping that the nose would clear the chain. WTF?!

[MUHerd37]

Wow that looks bad on the ref. Looks like some straight up bullshit.

[jmathes]

thats weak

booooooooo lame were better then that here.. i was waying for him to move the ball up a full yard then giggle

Are you kidding Ball moved a half inch and still called 4th down. No tape of the 4th down play called a 1st, which is really the issue, useless. Refs aren't spotting so precisely that the half inch given from the previous play is the reason they got the 1st down

If that was your team in a crucial situation and you realized that a ref was pushing the ball up, then you would think its a big deal. It doesn't matter if its an inch or a foot its the fact he is trying to dictate the outcome of a game.

[vagolf]

Could have been innocent but pretty fishy lookin to me. What if it was close enough that it would have created a first down? Whats the context of the play??? Was it late in the game?

[Machine Choice]

Could have been innocent but pretty fishy lookin to me. What if it was close enough that it would have created a first down? Whats the context of the play??? Was it late in the game?

I don't give a shit what the context of the game was! This was blatant!

Think about it, let's say it's late in the game and the defense is exhausted but they've managed to come up big in a key third down spot. If the ref inches that nose forward enough to just clear the chain and give the first down, it could be the straw that breaks the defense's back and means the difference between covering or not.

Honest gamblers ought to be outraged by what this footgae shows, innocent mistake or not! And I don't think it was innocent

[BernardMadoff]

All you saying ref did nothing wrong are pure idiots, obviously you didnt have money on FSU either or you would be calling bullsh!t, this was so blatant and that ref should have been fired on the spot for that, disgusting.

[BernardMadoff]

Could have been innocent but pretty fishy lookin to me. What if it was close enough that it would have created a first down? Whats the context of the play??? Was it late in the game?

You sound pretty naive and everyone else who said this was nothing, I was actually watching this, didnt see the closeup till now but I remember seeing the next play where it looked like he was stopped on 4th down and they said he made it, FSU was screwed out of this game, bad calls called during whole game.

[BernardMadoff]

Are you kidding

Ball moved a half inch and still called 4th down. No tape of the 4th down play called a 1st, which is really the issue, useless. Refs aren't spotting so precisely that the half inch given from the previous play is the reason they got the 1st down

Youre a nut.

[Sunde91]

refs knew the half inch was going to be the difference maker to convert the 4th on the next play

we nailed them

[Machine Choice]

refs knew the half inch was going to be the difference maker to convert the 4th on the next play

we nailed them

The principle of the issue is what I'm concerned with. Sneaky ref inched the ball forward. Period.

We don't have to speculate what he knew or didn't know. That's irrelevant. His actions speak for themselves.

[jjgold]

nah not that bad, ball could of been slipping

[Jerm3462]

What ref would do that anyway, knowing a hi-def $10,000 camera is going to be zooming in on that ball?

Accidental!

[Philavanh]

Ha....that is too funny.

[Kaabee]

looked like it was from him leaning on it too hard

[dbldown]

Looks like he was propping himself up with the ball and the movement was incidental.. much easier ways for a ref to cheat if he needs to.

[TobiasFunke]

What ref would do that anyway, knowing a hi-def $10,000 camera is going to be zooming in on that ball?

Accidental!

Thats exactly what I thought...he'd have to be an idiot to do it on purpose.

[BernardMadoff]

Looks like he was propping himself up with the ball and the movement was incidental.. much easier ways for a ref to cheat if he needs to.

Im sure youve been conned and taken advantage of in your life many times.

[dbldown]

Im sure youve been conned and taken advantage of in your life many times.

Not really Madoff, life is a lot easier to live not thinking the world is a conspiracy

[BernardMadoff]

Not really Madoff, life is a lot easier to live not thinking the world is a conspiracy

One would have to be blind or naive or both to not see him pressing down hard on the ball trying to smidge it forward and seeing it wasnt moving as he liked, he went ahead and pushed it forward, too blatant, he's been downgraded for a reason, not me he'd be suspended at least four games or fired if I was in charge.

[Holtgetsback]

it barely moved

who cares

[bruce0]

Gotta say that was an accident or mistake by leaning on it.

[Art Vandelay]

Non issue - so it slippped a little. Still 4-5 inches shy of stick.

[Jonah]

Bad, but easier ways to cheat, which they fully deploy.

[AB Rookie]

Didn't matter. FSU stll lost. I had Wake +11.5

[Glitch]

Looks like he was propping himself up with the ball and the movement was incidental.. much easier ways for a ref to cheat if he needs to.

Gotta say that was an accident or mistake by leaning on it.

firstly, ive seen a couple first down calls this weekend decided by the nose of the ball.

secondly, i agree with the above posters that the movements of the ball appeared to have been influenced by the ref leaning on it while holding it.

its still not cool and can definitely affect the call but it does look like an accident to me. like someone else said- nobody knows.

[zam77]

The fact that people say it barely moved or not that bad isn't warranted when the first down marker is inches away from the tip of the ball. The ball moved 50% further toward the first down is how it should be viewed and as soon as the other ref came to check the chain the ball miraculously stops? It was obvious imo that the ref was pushing for it.

[stogies]

This is a classic thread about a ref supposed cheating by a poster known for cheating.