May 1, 2005
Refs
This article about referees has a bit of information about the Giants/Niners playoff debacle a few years back:
After a poor snap, holder Matt Allen threw a pass downfield for guard Rich Seubert, who was tackled by a 49er as the ball fell incomplete.It's also interesting that the get around 16,000 for officiating a playoff game. But when you think about the guys who screwed the Giants getting that kind of money you can't help but feel a bit angry... Posted by James Trotta at May 1, 2005 3:52 PMTwo penalty flags were thrown on the play, but when the official who threw the flag for pass interference heard the other flag-thrower say illegal man downfield, he assumed it was on Seubert and that a man illegally down field couldn't be interfered with. As it turned out, the first flag was for another Giant linemen being downfield illegally.
So, instead of a lone penalty on the Giants, there should have been penalties on both teams, which would have canceled each other out and given the Giants another shot at the field goal and advancing.
"If it had been any other play but the last play of the game, they would have talked about it," Cashion said.
If being on the wrong end of all the invective that Giants' fans can muster is one of the pitfalls of the job, there are some perks.
A rookie NFL official, who must have at least 10 years of college experience, will make $2,200 per game this season, in addition to airfare, meals and a couple nights at plush hotels. A 20-year veteran will earn nearly $8,000 per game in the regular season and about double that for the playoffs.