Bill Belichick Goes Bezerk, Grabs Replacement Official
By Josh Hill
The New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens fought an intense battle on Sunday night, but it was the end of the game that will surely have pundits and fans alike seething as we roll into the next week. With the Raven two points behind the Patriots and seconds left, first year kicker Justin Tucker lined up and narrowly — and I mean narrowly– made the game winning field goal.
Bill Belichick took issue with the narrow win, which saw Tucker’s kick sail above the upright and over the post. Everyone on the Patriots sideline thought the kick was no good, but the officials under the goal post ruled otherwise and Belichick wanted to get one last word in.
As a replacement official ran off the field, Belichick went all Harbaugh vs. Schwartz and grabbed the official trying to stop him. The official continued running and Belichick stopped chasing him, likely realizing he was making a fool of himself. He was also likely realizing the fact he had just violated the arm of an official, which is a big no-no.
It was a game that saw both John Harbaugh and Belichick screaming at the refs numerous times as over 20 penalties were called and many were blown or overblown.
Belichick has long been a whiner on the sidelines, scowling and shouting and his holier than thou attitude shown through in jagged fashion Sunday night, but his grabbing of an official is crossing the line in the eyes of the league, especially after this last week. The NFL cracked down on coaches bullying officials and expect Goodell to make an example of Belichick after this incident.
After all, Goodell gets his rocks off throwing around his weight like a skinnier, slightly more intelligent David Stern. But he’s justified on this one; these replacement officials may be the NFL equivalent to Jar Jar Binks, but they do warrant respect. Not every teacher or administrator we had growing up was a genius, but because of their title and the setting, they deserved a certain amount of respect.
If I grabbed my seventh grade teacher, or even my bosses here at Fansided, the sky would fall down on me, likewise for Belichick and the NFL. This can’t be tolerated and given how stoutly the league is standing behind these replacements, it won’t be.
Incase you’re wondering, the standard fine for this kind of behavior is $20,000. Expect Belichick’s fine to be a bit more hefty than that.