East Carolina trailed Old Dominion, 35-34, in the final minutes of their Week 5 game and had 1st-and-10 from the Monarchs' 24-yard line. Pirates' quarterback Reid Herring appeared to have his pass attempt intercepted by Justice Davilia, but the officials ruled it incomplete and allowed the call to stand after a replay review. Moments later, ECU kicked the game-winning field goal.
On Monday, Gerald Austin, Conference USA's director of officials, released a statement that said the call might've been correct, but it should've been ruled an interception on the field to shift the burden of proof.
“I have confirmed that even though the official may have gotten the call correct, he was too technical in his decision to rule incomplete on that interception. He should have called it a catch and let play replay decide. We cannot take a play away from a player that we cannot back up as officials.”
That's not adequate, says Old Dominion.
"ODU is owed an apology," the athletic department's senior writer Harry Minium wrote this week. "You can't change the score and humans will make mistakes. But the number of mistakes here warrant an 'I'm sorry.' "
Minium continued by reviewing all the mistakes he believes the officials made in the two-point loss, and while he does so thoroughly and fairly, the statement, written on ODU's website with a "By ODU Athletics" byline, is uncommon and, frankly, stupid.
Schools often request explanations for calls, but rarely is an apology — because, despite not saying "I'm sorry," the conference's statement was an apology — met with a demand for a second apology.
Conference USA admitted an error that cost the Monarchs a win. It sucks, of course. It is, however, an adequate apology that shouldn't be greeted with a demand for another apology.
