When the Browns take the field Sunday at First Energy Stadium against Washington, the head official will be someone that fans and Browns players know all too well.
Shawn Hochuli, best known for his no-call of the illegal hit to the head on Baker Mayfield during an eventual overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two years ago, will the man in charge when Cleveland looks to get to 2-1 against the team formerly known as the “Redskins.”
Everyone remembers the incident of Mayfield against the Bucs early in 2018, when running with the ball the quarterback was hit helmet-to-helmet in the fourth quarter of a tight game.
The call should have a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct call against Tampa, but instead the son of retired ref Ed Hochuli made one of the most bizarre calls in NFL history to this day.
After a chat with fellow officials, Hochuli declared that “the quarterback was still a runner and therefore is allowed to be hit in the head. He had not yet begun his slide. There is, therefore, no foul.”
Say what?
The bizarre ruling was lamented for days, even weeks and it was one that still goes down in NFL history as a call that people just don’t understand.
If you happened to have forgotten the play or ruling, here’s the play from the game in 2018 to jog your memory.
Someone. Please. Anyone. Explain this to me… he literally says he's "allowed to be hit in the head!"
And how can a flag for a straight helmet to helmet blow be picked up?
This doesn't happen to anyone else but the Browns @NFLOfficiating and it's week in and week out! pic.twitter.com/vx9EMrkoqy
— GV Art + Apparel (@GVartwork) October 21, 2018
The Browns and Washington will kickoff Sunday at 1pm ET.
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