Lance Easley: "I Didn't Do Anything Wrong"

[MickeyDavis]

Yeah I know, we have a thread on the Monday debacle but this ass clown is unreal.

Lance Easley might be out of a job as an NFL replacement referee, but he insists that he made the right call on Monday night, TMZ reports.

Easley, the replacement ref who signaled a touchdown on the final play of the Packers-Seahawks game, stands by his decision, which allowed the Seahawks to win 14-12.

"I didn't do anything wrong," Easley said in the report. "You have to not only have the ball but have either two feet or a body part on the ground, and that never happened."

"Put any other official who knows the rules and they would make the same call."

Although the NFL rulebook cites simultaneous possession is awarded to the passing team, Packers cornerback M.D. Jennings clearly came away with the ball prior to Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate, who stripped the ball away as he was tangled with Jennings.

"I don’t appreciate the negative stuff," said Easley, who feels he’s had to take a burden of the blame for Monday night. "We did a damn good job … for the most part."

The controversial call comes after months of an intense labor lockout between the NFL and NFLRA, who came to an eight-year agreement on Thursday morning.

[BUCKnation]

Once again proving he is the only guy in the world who believes he got the call right.

I think its funny how he says, "Put any other official who knows the rules and they would make the same call," when the ref right next to him was calling it an interception.

[Ayt]

He doesn't know the rule since control can be established in a case like this prior to the feet hitting the ground. In the case of simultaneous possession, the issue is which player first established control regardless of when the feet or a body parts hits the ground. If a player establishes control while in the air prior to another player trying to establish control, the control by the first player (Jennings) continues throughout the play unless he loses control at some point. Jennings didn't ever lose control, therefore it is his ball. The only argument against this interpretation is that Tate somehow also had the same amount of control of the ball when Jennings controlled the ball, which is ludicrous since Jennings had both hands on the ball while pulling it into his chest while Tate merely had his left hand on the ball (at best, since it is hard to see his left hand at all).

What a **** joke. The guy is so incompetent he doesn't even know the correct rule after the fact. Having feet or a body part on the ground had nothing to do with the ruling.

[skitch815]

Looks like he's enjoying his "fame"

http://withleather.uproxx.com/2012/09/a ... screw-over

I suppose if you’re one of the two replacement refs responsible for the above image that will go down in infamy as one of the worst calls in NFL history, you’re probably going to want a drink. In case you’ve been mining for gold in the Arctic, Lance Easley up there – the dude calling touchdown – and the replacement ref crew working Monday Night Football this week wrongly awarded Seattle Seahawks WR Golden Tate a touchdown on a last second Hail Mary that was, of course, actually an interception. Either way, Green Bay’s loss is in the books.

You know what else is in the books? Easley’s 15 Jager bombs, broskis! And he better have tipped well, because he’s in for a world of pain today after it was revealed that the scab ref was out partying in Fresno last night, and for some ungodly reason, he thought it was a good idea to take a picture with a Packers fan. Because no one would ever find out.

George Takata, the sports director at KPGE CBS 47 in Fresno, reported on Twitter early Wednesday morning that Easley was out at Club Habanos — a bar/club in Fresno, Calif., on Tuesday night. Takata even tweeted the tri-pane photo you see above. He says the middle photo was sent to him by one of his friends, and it is of Easley at the club Tuesday night. (Via Larry Brown Sports)

Okay, first of all, looking at the girl (below), I don’t blame Easley – who was also apparently deemed unfit to officiate college games – one bit. Hell, if I were in his shoes I would have offered to make the touchdown signal with her. And he probably had no clue that this picture was ever going to end up on the Internet, but if that’s really his excuse, then we probably need to teach him everything about the Internet all over again. (Also, what’s up, Fresno?)

Read more: http://withleather.uproxx.com/2012/09/a ... z27jNxvJb2

[emunney]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2 ... ger_effect

[chuckleslove]

Tate also didn't complete the process of the catch which is necessary for a TD in the end zone.

[emunney]

Haha, I still don't know what that means.

[Ayt]

Someone make him infamous with a headshot.

[trwi7]

I would do more than just make a touchdown signal with that girl.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

The guy was a horrible, horrible ref but I see no reason to go out and try to ruin his life over a split second call. I hear about people posting all this information on where he works and trying to make him a Bartman character. Fire his ass but let him go on and live his life.

[beyond_the_arc]

I would do more than just make a touchdown signal with that girl.

Illegal Contact is more your style anyways.

[humanrefutation]

I never advocate going after someone's personal life over a sporting event. That being said, Easley is making it really easy for people to hate his ass even more by giving idiotic interviews like that. Pull a Jim Joyce and apologize, and people will forgive you.

[trwi7]

I would do more than just make a touchdown signal with that girl.

Illegal Contact is more your style anyways.

I'm more of an illegal hands to the face kind of guy.

[th87]

Ha! By his logic, a defender can catch a ball in the air, and as long as the offensive player puts his hands on the ball before the defender hits the ground, it's a simultaneous catch.

I cannot believe anyone could defend this call - I'm really astounded by the stupidity of some humans.

[Enrique]

He doesn't know the rule since control can be established in a case like this prior to the feet hitting the ground. In the case of simultaneous possession, the issue is which player first established control regardless of when the feet or a body parts hits the ground. If a player establishes control while in the air prior to another player trying to establish control, the control by the first player (Jennings) continues throughout the play unless he loses control at some point. Jennings didn't ever lose control, therefore it is his ball. The only argument against this interpretation is that Tate somehow also had the same amount of control of the ball when Jennings controlled the ball, which is ludicrous since Jennings had both hands on the ball while pulling it into his chest while Tate merely had his left hand on the ball (at best, since it is hard to see his left hand at all).

What a **** joke. The guy is so incompetent he doesn't even know the correct rule after the fact. Having feet or a body part on the ground had nothing to do with the ruling.

He's not the only one saying it could have been simultaneous possession. ESPN's Mike Sando on his NFCWest blog raised some valid questions yesterday that I have not heard good answers for. Not saying there aren't good answers, just saying I don't know the answer. I get that the feet hitting the ground doesn't matter if control is gained by one player before another. The question that I haven't seen an answer for is why Tate couldn't have simultaneous possession with just his left hand on the ball. Players are allowed to make one handed catches and I haven't seen anything in the rule book that says two hands on the ball is more control than one hand. I am not an expert by any means, but his arguments did give me pause.

[Aaron It Out]

He doesn't know the rule since control can be established in a case like this prior to the feet hitting the ground. In the case of simultaneous possession, the issue is which player first established control regardless of when the feet or a body parts hits the ground. If a player establishes control while in the air prior to another player trying to establish control, the control by the first player (Jennings) continues throughout the play unless he loses control at some point. Jennings didn't ever lose control, therefore it is his ball. The only argument against this interpretation is that Tate somehow also had the same amount of control of the ball when Jennings controlled the ball, which is ludicrous since Jennings had both hands on the ball while pulling it into his chest while Tate merely had his left hand on the ball (at best, since it is hard to see his left hand at all).

What a **** joke. The guy is so incompetent he doesn't even know the correct rule after the fact. Having feet or a body part on the ground had nothing to do with the ruling.

The question that I haven't seen an answer for is why Tate couldn't have simultaneous possession with just his left hand on the ball. Players are allowed to make one handed catches and I haven't seen anything in the rule book that says two hands on the ball is more control than one hand. I am not an expert by any means, but his arguments did give me pause.

It gave me pause too, but I think for different reasons. This is a case where people are looking way too deep into the rulebook instead of just using their f'ing eyes. It is clear that Tate never had possession of the ball. One hand, two hands, whatever, he never had it. You can dig out the rules to tell me whether that was an interception or not, but all the rulebooks in the world will never convince me that's a catch by Tate.

[Godgers]

After reading what this clown ref has to say and how he carrys his self. I would bet ever penny I have he fixed the game. Its prety clear. The Packers stoped the Seahawks a bunch of times on the last drive yet it kept going on from phantom calls. This guy did everything you could possibly do to fix a game.

I'm sure down the road we will see him on 60mins or something when the truth comes out.

[MickeyDavis]

I never advocate going after someone's personal life over a sporting event. That being said, Easley is making it really easy for people to hate his ass even more by giving idiotic interviews like that. Pull a Jim Joyce and apologize, and people will forgive you.

Exactly

[Enrique]

I understand what you're saying, I think we all were convinced that it was an interception when we saw it live. But shouldn't the rulebook sync up with what everyone agrees is reality? Maybe it does, but I just haven't heard a good answer to my original question. Maybe the answer is in the rulebook and maybe it's not. But if it isn't then the rulebook needs to be amended to include this scenario. I'm sure that 99.9 % of people thought that Brady fumbled in the tuck rule game too, but they were wrong. Dumb rule no doubt, but by the letter of the law it wasn't a fumble.

[crkone]

Tate removed both hands from the ball at different times while the man who had the ball first in both hands retained control throughout the process. Yes you can make one handed catches but not if someone else catches it first with both hands while you switch hands on and off the ball.