s-one
01-20-2006, 11:02 AM
Stockton NFL Ref Targeted For Bad Call
A Stockton man who is the target of vandalism and thinks it's not a random act.
He's a referee for the NFL and a bad call could have cost him a window.
It was the most controversial call in the NFL this week and referee Pete Morelli of Stockton was right in the middle of it.
During Sunday’s game between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, with 5:26 remaining and Pittsburgh on top 21-10, Morelli overruled Troy Polamalu's diving interception at the Pittsburgh 48. Replays shown in the stadium and on CBS clearly showed Polamalu catching the ball as he fell, rolling and tumbling with it in his hands, then fumbling it as he got up to run.
That set off a flurry of debate and outrage from fans and team officials.
That was Sunday. One day later NFL officials in a rare public statement said the call during the Steelers versus Colts game was flat out wrong.
That night while Morelli and his wife were sleeping in their Stockton home, someone threw a grapefruit-sized rock into his living room window.
As CBS 13 news arrived to his home he could be seen driving away, but his repairman was here to fix his window.
"He's a great man, the nicest couple," said Kat Cougevan, a neighbor. "It's so sad there are fans out there who would take it to that level--that they would be so upset about a game go and hurt somebody else and scare them."
Stockton police believe there could be a number of motives: a disgruntled fan or even a disgruntled student, since he's the principal at private school in Stockton.
The Morelli name is well known in Stockton. A city park and building is named after his family.
His friends and neighbors are sorry see this happened and just want this episode to go away.
Reference... (http://cbs13.com/sports/local_story_019204602.html)
A Stockton man who is the target of vandalism and thinks it's not a random act.
He's a referee for the NFL and a bad call could have cost him a window.
It was the most controversial call in the NFL this week and referee Pete Morelli of Stockton was right in the middle of it.
During Sunday’s game between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, with 5:26 remaining and Pittsburgh on top 21-10, Morelli overruled Troy Polamalu's diving interception at the Pittsburgh 48. Replays shown in the stadium and on CBS clearly showed Polamalu catching the ball as he fell, rolling and tumbling with it in his hands, then fumbling it as he got up to run.
That set off a flurry of debate and outrage from fans and team officials.
That was Sunday. One day later NFL officials in a rare public statement said the call during the Steelers versus Colts game was flat out wrong.
That night while Morelli and his wife were sleeping in their Stockton home, someone threw a grapefruit-sized rock into his living room window.
As CBS 13 news arrived to his home he could be seen driving away, but his repairman was here to fix his window.
"He's a great man, the nicest couple," said Kat Cougevan, a neighbor. "It's so sad there are fans out there who would take it to that level--that they would be so upset about a game go and hurt somebody else and scare them."
Stockton police believe there could be a number of motives: a disgruntled fan or even a disgruntled student, since he's the principal at private school in Stockton.
The Morelli name is well known in Stockton. A city park and building is named after his family.
His friends and neighbors are sorry see this happened and just want this episode to go away.
Reference... (http://cbs13.com/sports/local_story_019204602.html)