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The 2012 Packers–Seahawks officiating controversy, often referred to as the Fail Mary or the Inaccurate Reception, arose during the final play of an American football game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) that occurred on September 24, 2012 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington. In a nationally-televised game on ESPN's ''Monday Night Football'', the Seahawks defeated the Packers, 14–12, in controversial fashion. On the final play of the game, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone intended for wide receiver Golden Tate. Both Tate and Packers defender M. D. Jennings got their hands on the ball while both players were still in the air and attempting to gain possession. The two officials near the play initially gave separate signals of touchdown and touchback, before ruling the players had simultaneous possession, resulting in a Seahawks game-winning touchdown.〔(Oklahoman Derrick Rhone-Dunn plays key role in Monday Night Football debacle | NewsOK.com )〕 Prior to the catch, Tate shoved Packers cornerback Sam Shields with both hands, which the NFL later acknowledged should have drawn an offensive pass interference penalty that would have negated the touchdown and resulted in a Packers victory. The lack of a pass interference penalty and the ruling of a touchdown via simultaneous catch were widely questioned in the aftermath of the game, drawing comments from the game's announcers, NFL players, and the media. The NFL subsequently released a statement defending the touchdown ruling. The controversial ending followed weeks of criticism regarding the quality of officiating by replacement officials employed by the NFL during the 2012 NFL referee lockout. Two days after the game, the NFL and the NFL Referees Association announced they had reached an agreement to end the lockout. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged that the negative attention the game drew to the referee situation was an impetus for ending the labor dispute. ==Events of the play== Prior to the play, the Packers were leading the Seahawks 12–7. With eight seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks had possession of the ball at the Packers' 24-yard line with a fourth down-and-10 situation. On the final play of the game, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson unleashed a Hail Mary pass into the Packers end zone. Several Packers and Seahawks leaped to catch the ball. As the players jumped, Packers safety M. D. Jennings and Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate both jumped up for the ball, and both maintained some amount of contact with the ball in the air and upon landing on the ground. The two officials near the play conferred and then simultaneously made separate signals; side judge Lance Easley raised his arms to signal touchdown, while back judge Derrick Rhone-Dunn waved his arms to signal stoppage of the clock. Because Rhone-Dunn signaled timeout so as to stop the already expired game clock, Rhone-Dunn indicated that he desired further investigation of the play before rendering a verdict whereas Easley, from his angle, found sufficient evidence of a simultaneous catch with which to call a touchdown. The ruling on the field was officially a touchdown, with Tate and Jennings maintaining simultaneous possession. Replay official Howard Slavin initiated a video review,〔 as is required of all scoring plays. According to an NFL press release after the game, "The aspects of the play that were reviewable included if the ball hit the ground and who had possession of the ball. In the end zone, a ruling of a simultaneous catch is reviewable."〔 Referee Wayne Elliott determined that there was not adequate evidence to overturn the call, so the ruling stood as a touchdown.〔 As the teams and sports media swarmed the field, the Packers left the field and reported to their locker room, but were required by officials to return to the field for a mandatory conversion attempt per the NFL rules. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「2012 Packers–Seahawks officiating controversy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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