“Unsportsmanlike conduct, number 20 … Removing his helmet in disgust, 15-yard penalty.”
—David Witvoet, the referee in the Maryland-Iowa game, after Maryland defensive back Anthony Nixon apparently took off his helmet in an unkindly way.
That’s got to be the funniest penalty announcement since … well, let’s look at the three best penalty announcements I recall:
Referee Ben Dreith, during a Bills-Jets game in 1986, called a personal foul on New York defensive end Mark Gastineau for his attack on quarterback Jim Kelly thusly:
“There’s a personal foul on number 99 of the defense. After he tackled the quarterback, he’s givin’ him the business down there, that’s a 15-yard penalty.”
Referee Gene Steratore, in what was actually a very good (but very long, at 127 words) penalty explanation in a Week 6 2013 game between Green Bay and Baltimore:
“The ruling on the field is that we did have a completed pass. During that, the receiver was injured. An injury inside of one minute carries an automatic timeout to the team with the injury. Green Bay is out of timeouts, which would be their fourth timeout. By rule, that would carry a 10-second runoff as well. But, due to the fact that we have a personal foul/unnecessary roughness after the play on the offense, number 77, the 10-second runoff will not occur. There will be a 15-yard penalty against Green Bay, penalized from the end of the run. It will be first-and-10, Green Bay. Would the game clock operator please put 25 seconds on the game clock? Twenty-five seconds on the game clock please. Thank you.’’
I mean, how do you remember all that?
Referee Ed Hochuli, during the January 2013 Pro Bowl:
“Yes, there are penalties in the Pro Bowl. Pass interference, number 24, AFC … ”
That's great. I was working a HS football game last year where a player got a 15 yarder for unsportsmanlike conduct after scoring a TD. His crime? Simulating humping a football! That was a classic.
fiestavike wrote:great. I was working a HS football game last year where a player got a 15 yarder for unsportsmanlike conduct after scoring a TD. His crime? Simulating humping a football! That was a classic.
Did the official just say "unsportamanlike conduct" or did he embellish the call a little?