Yesterday we encouraged all to log formal complaints against referee Hochuli. We decided to send him a short email, stating our position, in hopes of receiving something other than the form letter others had been receiving. We were pleasantly surprised this morning. Below is our correspondence:
Mr. Hochuli
Like most San Diegans I am currently quite disappointed that our defeat in Denver was at the hands of an inaccurate officiating call. However, it is also worth mentioning that if you are allowing one call at the end of a game to determine the outcome, perhaps you don't deserve to win. Our defense was more of a "black mark" on the NFL than your crew's performance. You have a track record of being a solid official so you should not be judged on the merits of one bad call.
However I am curious as to how you think plays like this should be dealt with in the future. My take is as follows: a quick whistle should only come if a player is in danger of injury. Otherwise let the play run its course and then use review to either reinforce or correct the decision. That's a win/win scenario, something I'm sure a lawyer could appreciate. Best wishes (but I cannot promise that I won't give you "the business" if you are officiating in San Diego any time soon). Our team will be o.k. and this will be forgotten win we win the Super Bowl.
Respectfully Jack Murphy's Avengers
(name changed to protect the innocent)
...and Mr. Hochuli's response....
Thank you for your letter. You are right about the quick whistle thing.
That's where I failed. If I hadn't blown a quick whistle, we wouldn't be
writing each other right now.
We think it was pretty "stand-up" of Ed to take time out of his day and "Face the Music" even if the reply was brief (amazing for a Lawyer). Personable accountability and responsibility seem to be dying traits these days but not with Ed Hochuli. You can't fault a guy for that!
This issue is now over and hopefully we can look to rebound Monday night against Fav..ruhh.
That's where I failed. If I hadn't blown a quick whistle, we wouldn't be
writing each other right now.
We think it was pretty "stand-up" of Ed to take time out of his day and "Face the Music" even if the reply was brief (amazing for a Lawyer). Personable accountability and responsibility seem to be dying traits these days but not with Ed Hochuli. You can't fault a guy for that!
This issue is now over and hopefully we can look to rebound Monday night against Fav..ruhh.
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