It’s well known that the NFL couldn’t care less about gamblers. That said, another blatant example of their officials incompetence has put the NFL under the scrutiny of the gambling community – AGAIN !!!
In case you’ve been living in a cave or somehow managed to not see the final play of the Steelers 11-10 victory over San Diego, the Bolts tried a multi-lateral play on the game’s final snap that was returned by Troy Polamalu for a touchdown and miracle 17-10 cover for thousands of Steeler backers worldwide.
Not so fast. The booth officials overrule the on field officials by negating the touchdown because of an “illegal” forward pass. Final score, Pittsburg 11-10. The NFL acknowledged the “mistake” less than an hour after the game. Well after, Vegas, offshore, and whoever had already paid off on the Chargers.
Was the fix in ??? No. The review official’s decision to overrule the on field official’s call of a touchdown didn’t affect the natural outcome of the game like Broncos/Chargers Week I. The Steelers win either way. What it did change was what matters to US, the final score.
Here’s NFL Media’s rule explanation compliments of David Kindervator from NFL Blogcast
Estimates of the amount wagered on the game were thought to be around $10 million in Vegas, much more when you include other worldwide venues. The majority of the money was bet on the Steelers who opened at 3.5/4 and closed at five. In the long run, the only ones hurt were bettors, fantasy players, and possibly the Pittsburg Steelers should their playoff bid determined by tier seven point differential.
Like it or not NFL, the prosperity of your multi-billion dollar ATM machine is driven by US – gamblers and fantasy players. In the end, the NFL has a responsibility to EVERYONE , players and civilians to get it right.
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