VIDEO: Watch the Ridiculous Houston-Seattle Clock Error That Got XFL Referee Wes Booker 'Reassigned'
By Michael Luciano
June Jones, PJ Walker, and the Houston Roughnecks moved to 5-0 in the XFL with a 32-23 win over the Seattle Dragons. Sounds fairly par for the course, right? Emphatically wrong! Walker kneeled on a fourth down play with two seconds left on the game clock, but rather than stopping the clock with two seconds remaining, which could give Seattle a chance to score a touchdown and convert a three-point conversion to tie the game, the officials let the clock run out, giving Houston the win.
XFL Houston QB Phillip Walker kneels on 4th down with 2 seconds left in the game that would’ve given Seattle the ball on the Houston 20 in a one score game (3 point conversions are possible).
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) March 7, 2020
Instead, game clock runs out, refs leave, and XFL says “see...what had happened was...” pic.twitter.com/0Dd8v3VAqb
Referee Wes Booker tried to explained why the game was called as part of the XFL's initiative to hold refereed accountable, but his explanation did little to satisfy Dragons fans.
The XFL announced shortly after the game that Booker had been "reassigned."
Credit where credit is due, ESPN's Steve Levy and Greg McElroy were not going to circle the wagons and downplay this mess, as they both ripped the league a new one for calling a game that Seattle could have easily had a chance to win.
ESPN crew not shy about calling out XFL over their weird nonsensical reason for ending a game with two seconds left on the clock and a team on offense with a legitimate chance to tie. pic.twitter.com/oG5LRvaRbl
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 7, 2020
A terrific day of offensive football from Jones, Walker, and the Roughnecks has been overshadowed by some official incompetence.
Maybe the XFL is starting to catch up to the NFL after all.