NFL officials are often tasked with making tough judgment calls as thousands of fans scream at them. The job doesn’t seem fun on a normal day. Today in Buffalo, though, officials went above and beyond the normal call of duty to ensure play ran smoothly.
During Sunday’s Bills-Patriots matchup, as New England attempted a first-and-goal, an attendee at the game threw a dildo onto the field during the play. You’re not reading that wrong.
Perhaps they were excited about Rob Gronkowski scoring his 69th touchdown?
https://twitter.com/Diane_7A/status/792809481746911232
“Some fan threw something right out onto the field too, at about the one-yard line.”
“Initially, I thought it might be a flag, but I didn’t say it because it didn’t look yellow…. So they discarded that.”
I understand the apprehension of the broadcast booth acknowledging a dildo had been thrown onto the field. It’s stunning enough it happened at all.
The throw left officials in an awkward spot, as nobody, for good reason, wanted to pick up the sex toy. A referee made the uneasy decision to kick it to the sidelines, but not without hesitation.
There are a few great things about that video. First, fans instantly seemed to recognize what had happened, which is fantastic. It’s like they were expecting a sex toy to be flung onto the playing surface at any given moment. It lands, and within two seconds a voice can be heard saying “Dildo on the field!” That’s some quality reaction time.
And then, the poor official, who stands over it for what feels like an eternity, while his side judge colleague does nothing to help him out, before finally kicking it out of bounds in a manner that clearly conveys his disbelief at what he’s being forced to do.
Stay classy, Buffalo.
[Deadspin]