Published by Lauren Finnegan
In the Chicago Bears' season-opening game against the Detroit Lions Sunday night, there was a call made in the final minute of the game that won't soon be forgotten. Calvin Johnson, a wide
receiver for the Lions, was in the end zone and caught the ball. However, after he hit the ground, the ball bounced out of his hands. After reviewing the call and saying it wasn't a touchdown, the officials upheld the ruling on the field.
This call was based off of a little-known rule called the Bert Emmanuel Rule, according to Freep.com. The Bert Emmanuel Rule was enacted after the 1999 NFC Championship game where Emmanuel, a wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had his catch overturned. The rule overturns a catch by a player who doesn't maintain possession of the ball after it hits the ground. Even though this is a rule clearly stated in the NFL rule books, it still caused a lot of controversy afterward.
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The ridiculous rule cost the Lions a victory and could have a big influence on the winner of the division if the Packers or Vikings make a late season run. Terrible rule.
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