NFL referee Ed Hochuli, who’s made questionable calls in his career, responds in playful way to email
Ed Hochuli, who played college football at UTEP and has been an NFL referee for several years, responded in a playful way to an NFL fan who asked that he and the striking referees return to the game.
“Given the absolute mess that I’ve seen over the past three weeks… I feel like I owe you an apology,” the emailer wrote Hochuli. “I don’t think I could appreciate what an amazing job you all do until I saw these guys, who I recognize are doing their best, fail so miserably and so blatantly.”
Hochuli’s responded with “Seriously, thanks for your email, but I’m sure a week after we’re back, you’ll be cursing me again!!!! That’s half the fun. :)”
Read the full email exchange between the two here.
Hochuli has received a lot of heat for a few blown calls in the past, including one big one during the 2008 season.
After blowing a call that helped the Denver Broncos beat the San Diego Chargers early that year, Hochuli the referee admitted he made a mistake and answered e-mails from some fans telling them that.
“I’m getting hundreds of e-mails — hate mail — but I’m responding to it all,” Hochuli wrote to several Chargers fans, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune in 2008. “People deserve a response. You can rest assured that nothing anyone can say can make me feel worse than I already feel about my mistake on the fumble play. You have no idea … Affecting the outcome of a game is a devastating feeling. Officials strive for perfection — I failed miserably. Although it does no good to say it, I am very, very sorry.”
Read the full 2008 ESPN article here. Also, read a profile in UTEP magazine here.
A person familiar with the situation says the NFL and its locked-out officials have resumed talks in an attempt to resolve an impasse that has created a firestorm over the use of replacements refs.
The talks began again Wednesday after both sides met through Monday night, breaking off at 2 a.m. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the discussions were not made public. The person would not characterize the talks.
Negotiations have been ongoing the past week but have taken on heightened urgency following the “Monday Night Football” game. That’s when Seattle beat Green Bay 14-12 on a missed call by an official on the final play.
Even President Barack Obama has weighed in on the dispute. He tweeted Tuesday that “NFL fans on both sides of the aisle hope the refs’ lockout is settled soon.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story
