He’s back.
Okay, he’s not really back but he is indirectly involved with the NFL.
Lance Easley, the replacement official involved in the infamous Fail Mary play from last season, returned to the Seattle-area to umpire Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman’s charity softball game.
In Week 3, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Green Bay Packers, 14-12, thanks to a questionable touchdown call on the last play of the game. Easley ruled that a pass grabbed by both Seahawks receiver Golden Tate and Packers safety M.D. Jennings was a touchdown even though most people watching at home thought it was an interception.
It was one of those classic controversial plays that only the NFL can produce. It also expedited negotiations between the permanent referees and the league. The 2012 referee lockout ended two days later, due in large part to the Fail Mary.
Tate, who also participated in the charity softball ball game, told a local news station that he talked with Easley about the call and how it changed Easley’s life. Tate is impressed with how well the former replacement ref is handling all the attention.
Tate and Easley posed for a picture which was later put on Instagram and then tweeted by former Seahawks defensive back Lawyer Milloy.
Easley served as the first base umpire and was not involved in any controversial calls.
The softball game benefited “Helping A Hero.” The charity builds homes for wounded veterans. Easley agreed to umpire the charity softball game because he’s a former marine.
Easley told The Everett Herald that he would do the same for the Green Bay Packers and one of their charities although it’s doubtful any Cheesehead would want anything to do with Easley.
For those wondering if there’s a conflict of interest for a football official to umpire a current NFL player’s charity softball game you can stop wondering. The former replacement referee has retired from all levels of football officiating.
And get this, Easley has written a book about his controversial call and how it has changed it life. The tome hits the proverbial bookstore shelves in August. I want to read it just to see how he stretches one play into an entire book.
Now, Packers fans will never admit it but Easley made the right call. Then again, Packers fans think the officials are to blame every time Green Bay loses.
By the way, the play was reviewed, and after seeing nothing to overturn the result, the touchdown stood.
The NFL said Easley made the correct call, however they also said a flag for offensive pass interference should have been thrown and the touchdown disallowed.
Prior to the catch, Tate pushed Packers cornerback Sam Shields. Except when the Seahawks play in the Super Bowl, referees never call OPI in the end zone.
By mentioning offensive pass interference, the league is throwing Easley under the bus. The “Fail Mary” was a lot like the “Tuck Rule” in the sense that fans don’t care about what’s written in some book they only care about what they saw live and what they see on a replay. With the “Fail Mary” they saw an interception and with the “Tuck Rule” they saw a fumble.
The NFL knows it’s tough to sell Easley’s call. By mentioning the missed OPI, something they’d never do to a permanent official, the league is trying appease angry fans that think the result of the play should have been an interception and are doing so without having to defend the simultaneous possession rule.
As for Easley, he still believes he made the right call.
I happen to be a high school football referee in Washington State and I called a game the day after “Fail Mary.” All through the night, dozens of people came up to me and my fellow referees and made some comment about the Seahawks game.
They said stuff like “do you know the difference between an interception and touchdown?” “You guys should work for the NFL?” Or “you guys are much better than those officials from last night?”
I know the call turned Easley’s life upside down but the “Fail Mary” made a few zebras, at least for one game, look very good.
