Upon Further Review: You expected NORTHWESTERN to be given a fair shake over the B1G's new darling, Indiana?

From the new X account tied to this blog directly (which will almost certainly be banned within four weeks once some transphobic ass like Nancy Mace starts in):

The Big Ten was supposed to be allow viewers to listen in to the replay review but the audio only worked from the Referee, not the Replay Center.

Would have been helpful to see how the Replay Center didn’t have this out of bounds at the 11. But alas 🤷🏻‍♂️ https://t.co/1bDGAUnvmV

— OfficiatingObserver17 (@RefObserver17) September 26, 2026

Manchester City Found Guilty Of Financial Foul Play

But it's so serious, the question is:  What can really be done, short of expulsion from the English soccer pyramid?

ESPN has received information that Manchester City has been found guilty of basically all of the 115 Financial Fair Play charges which have been literally hanging over its head for the last several years.

Manchester City has not denied, in concept, they have been found guilty of all of the charges except one.

Obviously, City will appeal any determination as such, and any sanctions as a result.

The initial investigation took four years, and to get to this point took another three and a half.

The charges of violation of Financial Fair Play rules span from 2009 to 2018.  Manchester City won three Premier League championships directly in that span -- then, in 2018-19, they won the domestic treble:  Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup.  The finished in the Champions League positions four of the other five years in that span.

And that's before they won four in a row from 2020-21 to 2023-24.

Throw em out.  Part and parcel.

It can very easily be concluded the entire Manchester City championship run of the last FIFTEEN YEARS has been due to Financial Foul Play.

This isn't one or two guilty verdicts -- this is ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN.

What other penalty can there be but expulsion from the Premier League and from English soccer?  Even if the ramifications of it mean the end of the Premier League, which some pundits think might be a good thing.

There is no basically zero basis nor legitimacy in ANY of this fifteen-year run of dominance.

Since 2009:

• 8 Premier League championships
• In the Champions League every year since 2010-2011
• 6 FA Cup Finals
• 2 FA Cups
• Only 2 Champions' League finals, one of which they won, both in the 2020's.

And not a shred of it legitimate.

Not one.

2026 NFL Fine Blotter, Week Two Part Two: The People's Fines?

And this is the biggest fine of the year, if the MSN report of that is true.  We'll find out Saturday.

But the Cincinnati Bengals' two star players, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, have been fined over $80,000, per the report, for The People's Elbow.

Six Times!

I'm actually surprised the league didn't buzz the officials for a "non-football act" penalty for that.

Six times???  And no flags???

2026 NFL Week Two Fine Blotter, Part One: Ummmmm, No, NFL....

Where's my Picard "Why Me?" Facepalm when I need it?

I think I might've seen the most ridiculous fine.

It will be announced on Saturday and I probably will put it on the list, but I found out about it today and, well...  this one's anal.

• San Francisco:  Kyle Juszczyk becomes the first known TWO-TIME LOSER.  He got just over $20,000 last week for a helmet foul.  This week, he's fined $14,926 under the "illegal celebration" rule.

This one had better get appealed and reversed.  Juszczyk's nickname is "Juice", so, when he scored a third quarter touchdown, he mimicked opening juice and chugging it --as he apparently has for a long time.

The NFL fined him because they saw the action as a chugging of beer, and declared that offensive and outside the sportsmanship parameters of the league...

....

....

A league which has been married to beer and other alcoholic beverages since TIME FUCKING IMMEMORIAL!!!

Now, if you HAVE changed the rules to "Basically anything other than handing the ball to the ref is 15", fine.  Blame the culture of the game for having had to, but there are indications that it is getting there.  One of the taunting fouls in either a college or pro game earlier in the season was for the player declaration he had achieved a first down -- USUALLY that's not covered unless it's in the face of another player.

Juszczyk claims he doesn't even DRINK beer!!  So the only thing I can think of -- and it would be long overdue if it actually were the case, is the "Basically anything other than handing the ball to the ref is 15" Principle.

The league has tried this before -- back in the days of the sack dances and all of that.  So it's POSSIBLE.  Not likely, but possible.  This one, however, has gotta come back unless there's more to this than has been reported.

Week Two, After Further Review, Week Two: Not a doubt in my mind... But the NFL wanted to make sure for both itself and Vegas...

After the DUI earlier in the week, there was no chance Indy was going to win.

So why, Chiefs lovers ask, was THIS PLAY allowed to be reversed?

Referees overturned what was initially called a game-ending fumble after a 48-yard catch by Laquon Treadwell pic.twitter.com/ppwyOw6eWD

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 21, 2026

Why?

For the last...  possible...  second...  field goal for the Chiefs, including Mr. Taylor Swift with the Mrs. showing off the ring after he scores the first touchdown of the night.

EDIT TO ADD Monday Morning 7:45 AM PDT:  AND Colts coach Shane Steichen says the 4th and 8 that they took the FG, went for the tie, and gave the ball back to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs for the winning drive, they'd have gone for it...  if the coverage was right?

You can't make up this comedy!!!

And, not only that, but they get the Vegas bettors on the Chiefs -6.

The house wins, three different ways.  NBC gets a last-second overtime winner, the Chiefs win, and the Chiefs do not cover.

Week Two, After Further Review, Part One: I think I've seen an NFL anomaly...

I don't usually pull out stuff during the week, but this one needs a mention.

When I'm not banned from searching, I will search #Rigged on various platforms.

I found this play from Baltimore-New Orleans today.  It was called a touchdown.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have found a play that can be declared for BOTH TEAMS SIMULTANEOUSLY.

Not only is that not a touchdown, but there's a nice little facemask in the play too!

ABSOLUTELY...ROBBED! #rigged https://t.co/agDEUIsxu6

— Downfield Read (@DownfieldRead) September 20, 2026

EDIT TO ADD 5:25 PM PDT:

And that took one week.  Given the call last week, how is this not at least an incomplete pass?

NFL Officiating, along with its product overall, has declined significantly in my opinion over the past several years.

Game altering decisions. This is an incomplete pass. 10 people sitting at a bar could all agree on it. Nope! Not the NFL! https://t.co/k0kWplFLUU

— OfficiatingObserver17 (@RefObserver17) September 20, 2026

Some thoughts on Week Two

• Last week the Bears scored 59 points.  This week:  3.  Minnesota is 2-0 in two of the ugliest wins this league has produced in some time.
• And, while we're on the subject: Last week, the Panthers gave up 59 points and lost 59-37. Well, they got one thing consistent this week: They scored 34 -- but only gave up 3!!!
• The 49ers will go 2-0, and the march toward a very probable 0-16 for the Dolphins continues apace.  As I start this bullet-point post, it's 35-6 San Francisco over Miami in the 3rd.
• Somebody's getting fined this week...

“The players have no idea”

New Orleans Saints player Julian Blackmon says on Instagram “bad day for the sportsbooks” as he hauls in a telegraphed on purpose Lamar Jackson interception. Of course which made it a great day for the books. They will all burn pic.twitter.com/WLvrBLoU3l

— Behold A Pale Horse (@BeholdPaleH0rse) September 20, 2026

Hmmm...  Methinks the players are often co-participants.

• Oh great...  DeRapist Rapist actually won one.  In a lightning storm where most sane NFL fans would ask if it could take both teams out, the Browns actually won one -- 23-20 over the Buccaneers in Tampa.
• Early in the day, several taunting calls got even a friend of Tom Grossi angry enough to rant over X, and got that trending.  And most of Football Nation America wants mouths to be allowed to be shot off.  You do realize, it's punches next...   

2026 NFL Week One Political Report

It's far too early, obviously, to speak in terms of an order of teams in each conference.

That, however, said:  We CAN at least go Stock Up and Stock Down, in no particular order.

AFC:

STOCK UP:

Kansas City.  Boy, did that game look familiar.  Seven times in the first three quarters, ESPN showed Mrs. Travis Kelce.  Patrick Mahomes was healthy.  The referees appeared to be in full effect.  And the Broncos had no material chance whatsofreakingever.

Baltimore.  In what many believe might be Lamar's last real shot in Baltimore, they got off to a good start.  But if Mahomes stays healthy, could it also be familiar to see Lamar hit a granite ceiling?

Buffalo.  Another "same ol' song and dance" motif.

STOCK DOWN:

New England.  That looked awfully suspicious in the opener.  The real question is going to be what happens, especially to Drake Maye, going forward.

LA Chargers.  One of the most listless performances of the entire weekend.

Denver.  Got run over by the Patrick Mahomes buzzsaw, and it really makes you wonder what shot they really have to accomplish anything.

NFC:

STOCK UP:

Chicago.  The problem being that people are really believing that defense in Chicago is completely non-existent.  One pundit even joked that the Bears might need to break the scoring record for a team for a season to have any real shot at a successful year.

Detroit.  Got a lot of help to beat New Orleans, and if that plays out more later in the year, the NFC North is open to them.

San Francisco.  Especially with the LA Superteam flaking apart, that win might be FAR LARGER than any will admit.

Seattle's more a "we'll see".

STOCK DOWN:

Dallas.  Especially if you're going to continue to be given the media front-and-center of the league's most-valuable franchise, you gotta do better than that!

Green Bay.  Gee, did that look familiar -- with the shoe on the other foot, Mr. Jacobs???

BTW, Green Bay opened a 6.5 point favorite at the Jets.  It's been bet to -4.5 already, and I'll be surprised if they're giving more than a field goal.

Carolina.  Oh dear God no.  The defensive coordinator should've been fired today for THAT performance.

LA Rams.  You not only get blown out by the 49ers in Australia, you've now lost Garrett for at least a month.

After Further Review, Week One, Part Two: The Packer Fan's Lament

Said I'd cover this if I found it, and I did.

Found it on Reddit.

One drive, four different plays.

And only one of them MIGHT have been a 100% good call as it had a part to play in the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter for Minnesota.

It's 22-17 Green Bay.

Play One:  3rd and 11, 11:03 to go.  First down for illegal contact, #7 Green Bay.  A sack is negated.

He has a five-yard zone, but appears to be committing defensive holding on the play -- not illegal contact.  The contact appears to begin at the five yards.

Play Two:  3rd and 3, 9:15 to go.  First down for roughing the passer, Clay Matthews Rule.

Watch that he's gonna get fined for this.  You can't put weight on the quarterback.  Your only possible mitigation is if you believed #74 Minnesota shoves him into the quarterback.

Play Three, no call.  3rd and 3, 9:09.  Jaire Alexander is mugged by #76 of Minnesota, no call.  Vikings gain 28 on the play.

Play Four:  3rd and 5 at the Green Bay 6.  Defensive holding negates an interception.  That may have been the only 100% call of the four.

After Further Review, Week One

EDIT TO ADD:  I had, at that point in time, been terminated from X again (#10, 12, or whatever) for telling someone that if they wanted to declare me demonic, they'd have to shoot me.

(Considering I've said that dozens of times on a dozen or so X accounts, and I disagree wholeheartedly with any other outcome, but that's more for a politics post than this one...)

Anyway, I did find this one on Facebook.  Someone please explain to me, sans rigging, how this is not a New Orleans touchdown...

I have no question in my mind that it would be a forward pass, if the ball had any REMOTE chance of going forward.  This one did not.

That should've been a lateral and six -- and Detroit won in overtime when New Orleans failed a two-point conversion under the new NEW overtime rules (both teams must get the ball, regardless of the result of the first drive -- even a touchdown now!).

EDIT TO ADD:  Oh you are fucking serious.

In another rule that punishes defenses and is probably capriciously applied, apparently a pass that backward in that situation is declared a forward pass in the NFL (when it is convenient for the league to do so!).

I wish I were kidding.  My complaint stands, because the Saints defender has barred the Lions QB's arm Tuck Rule-style.

Well, Pigfucker's finally done it...

He is openly bribing the country to vote his oinkers back into Congress.

I guess it IS consistent with running the country like a business -- but, at tonight's first-ever midterm Republican convention, he's bribing every American adult with $5,000 each if the country votes both halves of Congress Republican.

This Michigan-Western Michigan situation is going to get someone sued...

And I would not rule out, if you want to be a Wolverine fan, etc., that it wouldn't be NBC.

I return you to the video in which NBC clearly shows the ball never touched before the clock went zero:

It's a different video, but it's the same thing I showed before.  The relevant replay starts at about 10 seconds or barely 11.

I have screenshotted the relevant situation.

If you blow it up big enough, you can see the ball, just past the goalpost support and not touched by any player on either team, in or out of bounds.  The clock clearly reads triple-zero.

Why am I so precise?

Because the Big Ten Conference is officially claiming this did not happen.  (Again, I have to link the video instead of just embedding the Tweet for a few more days.)

The Big Ten has an official position that THAT SAME CLOCK read 0:01.  Watch the video in the link.

Someone has just committed sue-able malfeasance.  Because either NBC is trying to manufacture something which is not the case to manipulate the game on their end (which probably is NOT legal, in the face of the Big Ten doing otherwise -- in the infinitesimal chance the Big Ten is not lying through their teeth), or NBC is being thrown under the bus by the Big Ten and being so accused.

If the Big Ten is telling the truth (and I do not believe they are), they are telling you you can never trust another NBC telecast, at any level.  If I'm the Big Ten Conference at that point, I want a new broadcast partner, first available opportunity.

For the record, I believe the Big Ten spliced the video.

Can't embed the post, but I can link it:

Truer words have not been said on the situation of college football.

And, after yesterday's rig-job, people will WELCOME that result.

Follow-up on the Michigan-Central Michigan rig-job...

I'd really like to know what clock they're using.

Go back to the video I posted.  It shows a brief moment of the replay with an auxiliary clock (NOT the unofficial NBC one on the scorebug -- watch the brief replay on the video I posted or any longer replay you have).  And, as I have always understood, that is the clock they use for time determination on review.

The ball is still several frames in the air before the player touches it (and yes, the player was out of bounds when he jumped, so he would be out and the ball incomplete at the moment of touching) -- and since you are video-reviewing, you can stop it at 0:00 live.

The conferences and Central Michigan have released statements accepting the result.

How much more did they pay you, Central Michigan, to walk away from state superiority in the Big House?

Asking for a friend.

And we've got a live one in Week One!!!

Western Michigan defeated #16 Michigan 12-7 today at the Big House.

That's not what anyone will tell you.

Ladies and gentlemen, a rigged result.

Well, they couldn't put up with the possibility we might catch them openly...

No "Loudest Manure Chants" or anything like that.

Seven-year referees' CBA announced for the NFL today.

Most of the new rules proposals have been approved.

The only one of the five rules proposals listed below which was not approved today for next season was the "kickoff from the 50 advantage loophole" rule.

This, along with the fact that it now appears the league is preparing for a referee lockout, makes the League Office in New York City the officials of record for 2026-27. 

The NFL announces several proposals, and some of them have to do with the possibility we may be Fail Mary again...

Today was a big day for NFL rules proposals.  Some of them normal...

And some of them anticipating we're going back to the replacement refs who "blessed" the league with riggings like The Loudest Manure Chant and The Fail Mary (and the Bill Belichick assault of one of the replacement refs), which came 24 hours apart and forced the league to capitulate.

Here are at least some of the proposals:

1) Both teams can now declare an onside kick at any point in the game, regardless of score.

2) This probably ties into this rule:  A rule that, after an unsportsmanlike or other major foul on a score or try by the defense, that kicking team loses the incentive to kick the ball completely out of bounds if they kick off from the midfield line.  Any touchback from the 50 goes to the 20.

I'm going to have to have that one explained to me.  Reading the rule (Point 2 in the first section), where's the advantage?  

3) In another effort to create excitement and more kickoff returns with the new setup, the rules would be changed that one fewer receiving-team player must be on the line five yards from where the kicking team's non-kicker players are (the "restraining line").  In the next five yards of the receiving side of the field, the team can have one more player in that area, but cannot have more than two players in any area bounded by a sideline and the hashmark, or between the hashmarks.

They're still trying to save the kickoff, for obvious reasons.  I get what they are trying to do, but...   

4) This is going to be the biggest rule, and it sounds like it's going to require massive manpower watching each game from the New York offices.

They ARE officially proposing disqualification-level conduct and Player Safety fouls can be called from New York, starting next year.  The rules already allow direct communication between the Replay Official, the on-field officials, and New York on all rulings and applications of game rules.  (Which answers the question on that revoked touchdown during the season -- the rules actually DO allow direct communication with New York on situations such as that.)

The deadline is the next legal snap or kick.

... which will mean that each game will need not just one New York official at the NFL offices, but almost-certainly a team of officials on each and every game, dedicated to all such actions.   

5) This is the one that gets added if they lock out the regular referees and decide to Fail Mary the league again (the referees' CBA ends May 31):  The offsite officials effectively become the officials of the game, in concert with the on-field crew.

The rule, for only the 2026-27 season and only in the event of and for the duration of a referee lockout, allows for the New York officials to call:

• Roughing the passer
• Intentional grounding
• Changing a running into the kicker foul into a roughing the kicker foul, and the other way around 
• Any disqualification foul which would fall under the fourth rule change (remembering that these are independent rules proposals, and this one specifically dependent upon the referees' work-stoppage situation). 
• Nullification of mis-called fouls for: 
• Face masks
• Roughing the passer
• Intentional Grounding
• Horse-collar fouls
• Illegal contact
• A limited form of reversal of pass interference -- meaning that either the feet get tangled or neither player is playing the ball
• or specifically the fact that a penalty is declared on the field for disqualification.  (The yardage still applies, except...)
• After the two minute warning, they get even more power! 
• Basically any fifteen-yard penalty can now be fully reversed in the final two minutes from New York.

Oh shit.  If this isn't pressure to get that settled...  You think the Loudest Manure Chant was bad?  I give that about the three weeks the last set of problems had, and there will be a Bottlegate-level incident, if not WORSE, the first time you see New York decide a contest outright because of the replacement refs.  

 

Another one from the Bills game that has people talking:

I think I now know why I couldn't embed those:  Account was suspended for saying the ICE shooter shouldn't get the Medal of Honor, but a noose around his neck instead.

Anyway, upon reinstatement after another week off, ANOTHER PLAY from the Bills-Broncos farce.

This is the play which ended Buffalo's one overtime possession.  Watch carefully.

I still think the Bills got screwed on this call.

At worst, it’s a simultaneous catch, which = Bills completion.

There’s no way this should have been a Broncos interception. He didn’t even have possession until the Bills receiver hit the ground

pic.twitter.com/OZtBrCgWk7

— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) January 18, 2026

Here's the worst part of this whole exercise:  There's a good chance, under the wording of The Catch Rule, that the call IS correct.

Now, we know the reality of The Catch Rule:  A catch is a play result which will benefit the team the NFL wants to win.

But, under "Survive The Ground", he does not survive the ground with the ball -- the Broncos defender does.

But there's the classic "but to the but":  Cooks is down by contact with the ball and rolls over before McMillan takes the ball out.

Under "Survive The Ground", he is down by contact with possession but no catch. 

So what then?  Incomplete?

After Further Review: Bills Get Out Of The Way

People are talking about how bad the calls were to get the Broncos the win over the Bills today.

The Bills threw the game to get out of the way -- the only remaining question in my mind is whether it was out of the way of Denver or of New England.

This was the first call.  Note:  There was also a correct Roughing The Passer call declined on the same play.  At best, this was a blatant defensive hold on the Bills as well, no matter what Bills fans or others are saying.  (Can't embed this for some reason.  Here's the link to the video.) 

This was the second.  And if you want to talk consistency, the question then comes down to ensuring the game is scripted for overtime and then a Denver win -- which it was.

And then a flagrant ejectable unsportsmanlike conduct on top of it. 

And then watch the play on the right here.  That was to deny a DPI which would've set the Bills up for a winning touchdown. 

Rigged, Scripted, Thrown.  Thank you for watching another NFL Scripted Playoff Production.