The Goat Pen

Op Ed wrote:

THE_WIZARD_ wrote:That is nonsense. I have no problem with black men voting.

Only the ones who own land.

Exactly.

THE_WIZARD_ wrote:

Big Orange Junky wrote:Wiz, off topic but I have a legitimate question for you.

Is there any accountability for officials, especially ones that make just God awful calls? I ask this because I was watching a replay of the NC State, Louisville game today and they called roughing the passer on a guy that just ran out of bounds with the QB, didn't throw him or make any contact out of bounds, but the QB threw his hands up like something happened and the ref threw the flag. Even though the replay clearly showed absolutely nothing happened they stuck with the call. They had the head of that conference that blew it (MAC I think) in the booth and when asked he said "well it looks different on the field) but basically the ref didn't call what happened he called what the QB asked for and it was pretty clear the only thing he saw was the QB throw his hands up in the air and he threw the flag.

Did he just get away with that?

Well if you mean "got away with it" as in didn't lose his job well probably yes. Every conference grades their officials every game...every play. Every crew and every official gets a grade each game. If a guy f's up enough yes he can get suspended or if a call is just plain bad enough they could get suspended or even terminated. If you recall the infamous "Fift Down" game between Colorado and Mizzou that crew (they were based out of Omaha) from ther Big 8 was axed for that one call. Now for an out of bounds call like that if it was indeed bad enough the head of officials from the MAC could take appropriate actions and suspend him for a game...but that would be about it would be my guess...unless he had a history of screw ups.

Thanks. It would be nice for the fans to know that there are consequences if they are caught just screwing things up because they don't like a team. We have one official in the SEC that has over the years been involved in several vengance calls against Tennessee because of a bad call he got playing against them as a player. He made several high profile atrocious calls but he still gets to call games. At one point he wasn't allowed to call Tennessee games, but they reinstated him and dang if he didn't do it to them again. He has had several along the lines of the "fifth down" the most famous would be the Gaffney non catch. His name is Alma Matthews. I don't understand how he still has a job due to the fact that he is very blatant in allowing his personal hatred show on the field but he does. He will likely have another huge bad call against Tennessee this year if they didn't suspend him from calling Tennessee games again (there was talk about them doing that again after last year).

I would like for the fans to be able to see the disciplinary action for the bad calls and the officials actually admit they screwed it up instead of constantly seeming to cover it up and deal with it in private. They screwed the call up in public.

I am talking more about blatant things as opposed to bam bam plays or honest mistakes.

At least some other conference actually discipline their officials.

I would like for the fans to be able to see the disciplinary action for the bad calls and the officials actually admit they screwed it up instead of constantly seeming to cover it up and deal with it in private

Well in high profile situations you may see it come out in public...as far as an official "admitting" they screwed up well I'm not sure that is going to happen either...the conference head of officials will do that for him. As for this anti-Tennessee guy...if what you say is fact then I would be surprised the SEC would put up with that. Plus the fact when an official is a former player the league must be careful not to put officials in situations where bias could be construed...it's a no win for the official for one thing. Clete Blakeman...now an NFL official...was a Big 12 official for years...and he was a former nebraska QB as well. He did several NU games and I never understood why the B12 would allow that. I would not want to be in that situation at all.

THE_WIZARD_ wrote:I would like for the fans to be able to see the disciplinary action for the bad calls and the officials actually admit they screwed it up instead of constantly seeming to cover it up and deal with it in private

Well in high profile situations you may see it come out in public...as far as an official "admitting" they screwed up well I'm not sure that is going to happen either...the conference head of officials will do that for him. As for this anti-Tennessee guy...if what you say is fact then I would be surprised the SEC would put up with that. Plus the fact when an official is a former player the league must be careful not to put officials in situations where bias could be construed...it's a no win for the official for one thing. Clete Blakeman...now an NFL official...was a Big 12 official for years...and he was a former nebraska QB as well. He did several NU games and I never understood why the B12 would allow that. I would not want to be in that situation at all.

Oh it's true all right. He has never let his hatred for all things orange be a secret. He apparently caught what would have been a game winning TD against Tennessee as a player for Vandy many years ago that was overturned by the officials. He became an official and was involved in several high profile bad calls against Tennessee, the most famous one was the Gaffney non catch for which they ended up actually making an official rule that the ball had to do more than just touch a player to be considered a catch LOL.

Anyway after that game he wasn't allowed to officiate any more UT games (that wasn't the first time he had done something like that) but that was a Fulmer thing and after Fulmer was fired he started officiating Tennessee games again. Then he proceeds to make more blatant calls against UT when he would be across the field and out of position but still call some BS call etc. After last year there were rumblings that they were gonna stop him from calling Tennessee games again but I don't know if thats true or not. The league said they only kept him from calling Tennessee games for his safety, but if that were true they wouldn't have reenstated him after Fulmer was fired. The league thought they could let him officiate games again since Fulmer was gone but he started showing out again LOL.

He is one that deserves to lose his job, not just for Tennessee games but for any game.

BoJ complaining about anti-vol officiating in the offseason?

Excellent. He's already in midseason form.

No I was talking about one guy. I think his name is Allama Matthews or some such. Anyway the SEC evidently agreed because he wasn't allowed to call Tennessee games (at least in Neyland but maybe any) for 10 years and then as now that he has been reenstated he was involved in so many controversial calls against Tennessee that there was talk about doing it again.

He as head linesman called not one but TWO PI bogus PI calls in the UGA game last year that weren't even close to PI, no contact was made and one of them was about 30 seconds after the play was over and they both resulted in a turnover (UGA was gonna have to punt but got the first down because of the calls). Then right in front of him we had a TE completely tackled and he didn't throw the flag. That was the game that got the talk about banning him again stirred up. Basically in the short time he has been calling Tennessee games again he has been involved in lots of controversial calls and every single one of them were against Tennessee.

Google him and you will find more than you want to know about him complete with lots of the examples I am talking about.

It was to the point last year that Steve Shaw got involved.

Three words: Mid. Season. Form.

http://feelslike98.com/articles/allama- ... the-kraken

Here's a link to the game that got Steve Shaw involved.

AA if there was nothing to it why did the SEC ban him? Why did Steve Shaw get involved after that UGA game and promise to take a look at him agian? These things are ones I think fans should be allowed to know the outcome of. Have they completely forgiven his shenanigans that got him banned and does his slate start clean now or is it possible for him to FINALLY rightfully lose his job?

http://blogs.knoxnews.com/mattingly/201 ... inish.html

Another one at another site

So Wiz has a very good point. There is lots and lots of smoke. One man involved in more controversial calls against one team than logic would allow with one of them being so blatant they made a special rule because of it and yet the SEC sees fit to allow him to call games for that same team he has been involved with all the controversey with and he goes right back to being in the middle of controversey against them again. He's proven he's like an alcoholic and just can't help himself and can't be trusted to stay out of trouble where Tennessee is concerned.

Exactly why would they allow that? In this case the evidence is pretty overwhelming, but even if it wasn't true with that solid of a perception of wrong doing why would they allow it to continue? At this point they have everything to lose and nothing to gain by continuing to allow him around Tennessee football games.

They supposedly kept Al Matthews from reffing Vol games, not as punishment, but because he had recieved death threats from angry Vol fans. They did the same thing for a ref named Bobby Moreau.

If that were true they wouldn't have dropped that after Fulmer was fired. It was because of the blatant dishonesty he had exibited then they thought when Fulmer was gone it would be OK.

As the KNS says Fulmer took the SEC's crap for the most part and never caused a scene when we got screwed (which I have argued resulted in it happening more often because psychologically the refs know they can err on the side of screwing him and they won't hear about it vs they will never hear the end of it if they screw someone like Saban), but this one time Fulmer stepped up and it was so bad the SEC did something about it. They wouldn't have made a rule change and all if it was just a "missed" call. It was an intentional screwing, a payback as it were by Allama. That's why Fulmer finally chewed some ass and why they kept him away.

If it was really because of the threats no official could ever officiate a game at the Smamp, Death Valley or Tusklsuser, in all seriousness if that were the case then they wouldn't have lifted the ban when Fulmer was fired, they would have kept it.

AlabamAlum wrote:BoJ complaining about anti-vol officiating in the offseason?

Excellent. He's already in midseason form.

Thought the same exact thing.

What's the over/under on the number of games the Vols get stolen from them this year? 5? 6?

Still though, it's a higher number than the over/under for bowl victories for The University Of Ohio State.

Dr. Strangelove wrote:What's the over/under on the number of games the Vols get stolen from them this year? 5? 6?

Georgia State and Akron should not be that close, the potential is 12.

BOJ,

The death threat thing was said by Bobby Gaston. I could find an article that mentions it if it would make a difference. I don't think it will, so I won't.


You are M.S.F. (mid-season form)!

What was that acronym for the worldwide Val conspiracy?

AlabamAlum wrote:BOJ,

The death threat thing was said by Bobby Gaston. I could find an article that mentions it if it would make a difference. I don't think it will, so I won't.


You are M.S.F. (mid-season form)!

I know that, but I also have enough sense to know that is just the convinent excuse to kinda sweep it under the rug. A call that was bad enough that the NCAA gets involved to "clarify" the rules on what constitutes possession (ie it must do more than touch a players jersey), and the one that made such a bad call has let it be known he feels like the team he harmed with that call robbed him in 1981 is pretty damning. I have no doubt he had some idle death threats. Heck Johathon Crompton had some himself. Sure they want to save face and come up with some other reason so they can say he wasn't "suspended" from calling those games. That' s the point. It makes it officially seem that he got to do that and get away scott free with no punnishment for his corruption.

But, if that were the REAL reason then they wouldn't have lifted it after Fulmer was fired. It would still be in effect. The real reason was his bias was shown and the fact that he is now back and in such short time has been involved in more controversial calls against the Vols than any other official (three complete game changers in the UGA game alone where he over ruled accurate calls by officials on top of the play when he couldn't see the play and one where the play happened right in front of him and he refused to throw the flag on a blatant possession changing call) shows that to be the case.

Now I believe it's real. Most objective people that looked at the facts would believe it was real.

But let's just say it isn't real. It still has such a bad appearance that it shouldn't be allowed. He has had a well documented problem with the Vols since 1981 when he feels like he was robbed and has the appearance that he seeks revenge every chance he gets when involved in their games. He has been vocal about feeling he was robbed. Regardless of whether or not that perception is accurate that is the perception of that man and his officiating. The SEC shouldn't allow him to officiate any more UT games just on that principal alone no more than I should hang out with a drug dealer. Doesn't matter that I have never been a drug user, not even pot, hanging out with a dealer gives the impression that I am.

Same thing here at the very least.

It would be no different than allowing me, who has been vocal in saying I feel he is corrupt, to sit on the board and have the only vote on whether or not he should retain his job. It's the exact same thing.

But my main point is that discipline in these issues that are this big need to be made public so that the fans don't feel like it is swept under the rug. The gaffney non catch was just as bad as the 5th down. In both instances the discipline should be known so as to keep the integrity of the officials as high as possible. Otherwise you will have issues like this, which has the appearance of a man with a vendetta against a team constantly getting to carry out revenge on them by officiating their games with no punnishment.

Maybe they let him back because the threats from the whackos died down?

MSF!