On September 14, 2008, Hochuli officiated a now-infamous game between the
San Diego Chargers and the
Denver Broncos, which became notable for a highly controversial call near the end of regulation play. The call came with 1:17 left in the game, while Denver was in possession of the ball at the San Diego one-yard line, trailing the Chargers by seven points. On a second-down play, Denver quarterback
Jay Cutler fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by San Diego linebacker
Tim Dobbins. Ed Hochuli blew his whistle during the play, signaling that the play was dead and ruling an
incomplete pass. Hochuli admitted his mistake and spotted the ball at the point of the fumble, but could not award possession to San Diego, and the play was not reviewable under then-current
instant replay rules. Chargers head coach
Norv Turner later said after the game, "Ed came over to me and said he blew it. And that to me is not acceptable."Hochuli responded to the situation, writing, "Affecting the outcome of a game is a devastating feeling. Officials strive for perfection – I failed miserably."
Dallas Cowboys owner
Jerry Jones was even fined $25,000 for publicly criticizing Hochuli. The NFL passed a rule the following offseason allowing such plays to be reviewable under the instant replay rule for the
2009 NFL season.Speaking to
Referee in November 2009, Hochuli told the magazine, "It was really an easy play. I’ve thought many times why I did what I did. The best explanation is it was almost like dyslexia. I realized it was a fumble and did the wrong thing. I realized I was wrong but there was nothing I could do about it."
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