The Fail Mary and the Mississippi Guy Who Got Robbed

Remember the Fail Mary?

It was Packers vs Seahawks on Monday Night Football on this same day (September 24) back in 2012. Russell Wilson throws a last-second Hail Mary pass. Packers safety M.D. Jennings jumps up and grabs the ball. Then Seahawks receiver Golden Tate shows up late and tries to wrestle it away.

The refs run in. One calls touchdown. The other looks confused. The call stands. Seahawks win 14-12. The world loses it.

Here’s the thing most people don’t know… Jennings is from Calhoun City, Mississippi.

Yeah, a small-town guy from Mississippi made the biggest play of his life on national TV and still got screwed over.

The whole season was shaky. The NFL locked out its regular referees because of a contract fight. The league brought in replacement refs from lower-level college, high school, and arena leagues. The NFL thought the refs didn’t matter that much and that the games could go on.

That turned out to be a disaster. Mistakes piled up every week. Then came Week 3 and the Fail Mary.

There were eight seconds left. Seattle needed a touchdown to win.

Wilson throws a desperate pass into the end zone. Jennings, the Mississippi guy, jumps up and snatches the ball clean. He has both hands on it and pulls it close. It should have been an interception. Packers win.

But Tate, a Notre Dame guy, jumps in and grabs the ball too. Just enough to confuse everyone.

Then referee Lance Easley, one of the replacement refs, signals touchdown.

Seahawks win.

Jennings is left holding the ball, stunned, like he just got robbed… because he did.

Think about that.

A guy from Calhoun City, Mississippi, making one of the most infamous plays in NFL history. Not because he messed up. Not because he was out of position. He was right there, did his job, and still got screwed by bad officiating.

Jennings wasn’t some veteran superstar. He was an undrafted player fighting to stick in the league. And in just his second season, he became the face of a blown call he had nothing to do with.

The next morning, sports talk exploded. Twitter blew up. Packers were furious. Even President Obama said the NFL needed to get the real refs back. The league admitted that Tate should have been called for offensive pass interference on the previous play, which would have ended the game in Green Bay’s favor.

Two days later, the NFL ended the ref lockout and brought the regular officials back. When they stepped onto the field Thursday night, fans gave them a standing ovation.

All because of one play.

Because of one call.

Because a guy from Calhoun City did his job and got screwed anyway.

If you’re from around here, you don’t forget that.

So next time someone talks about the Fail Mary, tell them, “The guy who actually caught that ball? He’s from Calhoun City.”

Let them think about that while they argue over rules and refs.

Because that night was NFL history and Mississippi history all at once.