Henry Roldán
With the advent of technology in professional sports, it has been possible to amend several of what could have been considered the worst refereeing decisions of all time. However, before the advent of instant replays or even with them, there have been many plays that have cost the affected teams dearly. Here at Jefebet.com, we leave you a list of the 10 worst decisions in history.
10. Unpenalized pass interference for Saints
In the fourth period of the 2018 NFL Championship Game, the New Orleans Saints couldn’t believe how pass interference wasn’t called on Nickell Robey-Coleman after he blocked Tommylee Lewis long before the football arrived. Instead of being a first-and-10 with less than two minutes left and within field goal range, the Saints had to settle for a fourth-down field goal. The Los Angeles Rams got the ball back, tied the game, and would go on to win in overtime to reach the Super Bowl.
9. Smoke or pass?
While the play did not come in any decisive instance, the mere fact that the referees failed to notice the Raiders’ intent is certainly a reason to be on our list of the worst judgments. With 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter and down 20-14 against the Chargers, quarterback Ken Stabler released the ball forward before being caught. Immediately, running back Pete Banaszak lost it again, and tight end Dave Casper pushed it forward to fall on it at the touchdown line. A few years later both Stabler and Banaszak confessed that the move was deliberate.
8. Controversial Tuck Rule
The famous “Tuck Rule” was so bad that after this play, the NFL voted almost unanimously to remove it from its rulebook. In the 2002 AFC Divisional Round between the Patriots and Raiders, Tom Brady dropped a super-important fumble with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter and down 13-10. The Raiders had recovered the ball and were celebrating until the referees reviewed the play. They decided that Brady had started to move his hand forward and it was an incomplete pass. New England would win in overtime and then begin their dynasty with a Super Bowl win.
7. Illegal goal by Brett Hull
One of the worst sentences in NHL history gave the Stanley Cup to the Dallas Stars in 1999. With 23 seconds left in the third overtime of Game 6 of the series and 23 seconds left to become the longest game in history, Brett Hull’s skate was clearly inside the goalie’s box when the game-winning goal was scored. The rule stated that a player could not be in the area unless the puck was already there, and Hull was certainly there before the puck arrived.
6.- Derek Jeter’s home run
One of the most remembered home runs in Yankee history is Derek Jeter’s home run in Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series against the Baltimore Orioles. In the eighth inning, the New York team was down 4-3 until the shortstop’s hit, which, if not for a fan named Jeffrey Maier, would have been caught by Tony Tarasco, or at least hit the wall alone. However, Maier interfered with the play, the right field umpire called a home run and the Yankees would tie it. They then won the game in extra innings and the series in five games.
5.- “The Hand of God”.
One of the most iconic plays in professional sports is also one that has to rank among the worst refereeing decisions in history. In the Quarter-Finals of the 1986 Mexico World Cup, Argentina won against England by scoring its first goal with a stroke of genius or, depending on how you want to look at it, a trick by Diego Maradona. The Argentine star received a cross in the box and jumped with his hand outstretched next to the English goalkeeper. The hand hit the ball and it went into the goal as England complained loudly. The goal was not disallowed, and it has since been known as “La Mano de Dios.” (The Hand of God)
4.- Jim Joyce and his imperfect sentence
One of the worst umpire decisions in Major League Baseball history came on June 2, 2010, when umpire Jim Joyce took away a perfect game from Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga. After a gem of a single against the Cleveland Indians, Galarraga was one out away from making history until Joyce’s error. Indians batter Jason Donald hit a grounder to first base that Miguel Cabrera caught and threw the ball to Galarraga, who had come in to cover the pad. The pitcher and the ball arrived well before Donald, but Joyce blew the call and the magic was over.
3.- A safe that won a World Series
The St. Louis Cardinals were up 1-0 in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series against the Kansas City Royals, and only three outs separated them from the title. One that never came after Don Denkinger’s horrible decision. The Royals’ Jorge Orta opened the ninth with a slow grounder through the first base line that Jack Clark fielded and got past pitcher Todd Worrell, who stepped on first base a half-step ahead of Orta. While everyone saw a clear out, Denkinger called still. By that time there was no replay and Kansas City immediately scored two runs to win the game 2-1. The series was the seventh game and the Royals won that game 11-0 to take the World Series.
2. The robbery to Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Jones Jr. not only beat Korea’s Park Si-Hun during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but he in fact destroyed him. The American boxer connected 86 punches to Park’s 32, who also took two eight-second standing counts during the fight. However, Park took the victory in a shocking manner. After the fight, one of the judges accepted that he had given the win to Si-Hun to appease the people in South Korea, while two judges were suspended for life. Undoubtedly one of the worst sentences in Olympic history.
1. The Cold War came to basketball
Thus, we come to our top spot of the worst sentences in sports. The frantic finish to the 1972 gold medal game between the USSR and the United States saw the U.S. apparently win the game twice by being ordered to return to the court both times. The referees twice delayed the time on the clock in the final seconds of the game and also forced a U.S. team defender, who was protecting the inbounds pass, to move away from the baseline even though there was no rule dictating that he had to do so. All of these factors allowed the Soviets to throw a long pass and score the winning basket, which infuriated the U.S. team and its fans in the midst of the so-called Cold War between the two countries. A complete disaster.
