Ref Played Bird, Quarterback Played Randy Johnson
It hasn't been added to the above YouTube classic "Poor Referees" yet, but one of the officials in Sunday's Patriots-Jaguars game was hospitalized after he got drilled in the neck by a pass from Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard.
Umpire Garth DeFelice couldn't get out of the way in time when Garrard threw a pass over the middle, and when he turned away from the ball, it hit him and he dropped like a sack of potatoes. DeFelice stayed on the ground for several minutes, but he eventually walked off the field. Garrard, showing class, approached DeFelice afterward and appeared to say, "Sorry," instead of "Get the hell out of the way, you old fart. It was third down and we needed that play."
This wasn't DeFelice's first on-field injury. Last season he suffered a concussion when he was trampled during a Redskins-Broncos game. Not that I'm totally lacking in sympathy, but at some point shouldn't the NFL make an ability to get out of the way a requirement of this job?
Umpire Injured During Patriots-Jaguars Game [ Associated Press] The Hits Keep Coming for One NFL Official [ Sporting News]
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