Sometimes we wonder what referees see to throw certain flags on plays. We know that the star players are likely to get more calls than most guys. Steve Young might have just made it even more harder to be a referee in today’s sports. Young reveals a time that he once got a favorable call from a referee for a crazy reason via NBC Sports.
“I’m in the huddle when the head referee taps me on the shoulder. ‘Can I talk to you for a second?’ I step away from the huddle. ‘Hey listen my daughter’s going to BYU,’ he whispers. Next thing I know he starts trying to convince me that I should meet his daughter. ‘I’d like you to take her out,’ he says.
“I cannot believe this. We’re in the middle of a game! ‘Oh okay,’ I said. “What’s her name?’ He tells me and I return to the huddle. Late in the game we’re down 31-23 and I’m trying to mount a comeback. I scramble out of the pocket and take a brutal hit. It causes me to fumble just before the whistle blows to stop the play. I’m on the ground when the defense recovers the ball. Suddenly out of nowhere a yellow flag lands next to me. The referee whose daughter is headed to BYU calls a personal foul on the defense. First down Tampa Bay. I get up brush myself off. Then the ref walks past me and whispers she likes Italian food.”
To say that referees don’t have their own favorite team or players would be a lie, but you never want them to change the outcome of a game. It’s still possible that a lot of this could be going on that we don’t know about.
I’m just curious to know if Steve Young actually returned the favor after getting a such favorable call.