Dude. Sometimes it’s just time to hang it up. Brad Allen has been in the hot seat a lot this year, do to his, well, questionable officiating. Now, he’s really in a high-profile position, and not the good kind. His game-changing call in Saturday’s (Dec. 30) Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions game was revealed via video footage to be bunk. What’s even crazier is that after the game, he flat-out denied being wrong, when it was obvious he was wrong. What is it with people not admitting to their mistakes? Here’s the story behind the Cowboys-Lions call and what people are saying today.

Let’s be frank. The Detroit Lions got screwed. There were 23 seconds left on the clock, and the Lions took a one-point lead when offensive tackle Taylor Decker caught a pass in the end zone on a two-point conversion attempt. That seemed to lock in the victory, and it would have, if the refs hadn’t cheated to make the hometown team win. Decker was flagged for illegal touching, despite video evidence showing he seemed to reported as eligible before the play. So, Dallas won, 20-19.

Rex Ryan appeared Sunday morning on ESPN and said this about the Cowboys-Lions call.

“This is a huge mistake. But the thing that bothers me the most is that we’re putting blame on the players. Stop. The players did everything right,” Ryan said. “Quit covering somebody’s butt. Be a man and take responsibility. It’s BS.”

Adam Schefter of ESPN also took to X to say the call was “the latest and most egregious example that the NFL has an officiating issue.”

Schefter said, “A missed call late in Saturday night’s game between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys led to an even higher-profile error in what has escalated into the latest and most egregious example that the NFL has an officiating issue.”

He added, “The latest controversy surrounding referee Brad Allen and his officiating crew — involving an overturned 2-point conversion by the Lions — could potentially have been avoided if not for another missed call on the Cowboys’ previous possession. The Cowboys owned a 17-13 lead when they intercepted Jared Goff at the Lions 29-yard line with with 2:05 remaining. Tony Pollard’s 7-yard run on the ensuing play was called back after Dallas tight end Peyton Hendershot was called for tripping, setting the Cowboys up with a 1st and 25 on the Lions 44-yard line. Video of that initial first-down play, reviewed by ESPN, showed that Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson — not Hendershot — should have been the one flagged for attempting to trip Pollard.”

Well, at least the NFL is admitting to the wrongdoing, if not by words by actions. Allen’s ref staff is expected to be demoted and ruled out for the playoffs, according to Schefter. Allen’s officiating has caused controversies all season, so in my opinion, he should have been taken out before this game.

Schefter added that “Campbell said he informed officials pregame last night that No. 68, Taylor Decker, would report as eligible in a potential trick play for the game. ‘I explain everything pregame to a T,’ Campbell said. ‘I did that.'”

The NFL, in theory, can reverse the outcome of this game. But, don’t hold your breath. The Lions’ best hope is to face the Cowboys in the playoffs and right this wrong.