Everyone has a rough day at work.
But only some people have that play out on national television.
It’s safe to say college football referee Ed Ardito fit that latter description on Tuesday night during the First Responder Bowl in Dallas.
While Texas State won its first-ever bowl game in a 45-21 victory over Rice, it was a viral moment from the officiating crew that will end up being the most memorable of the night.
In the third quarter, Ardito was announcing a timeout called by Texas State that he originally called a 30-second timeout.
But that wasn’t the case, and when he realized it, he had a very human reaction into his live microphone.
“Damnit!” he said before correcting himself that it was a “full media timeout.”
Later in the game in the fourth quarter, Ardito had to correct a penalty announcement that he had made in which he had to explain offsetting penalties.
Users on social media seemed to have some fun with the official’s hot mic moment and the way in which he got through the penalty calls.
“This poor referee at First Responder Bowl. No idea why I’m watching,” Cleveland Cavaliers beat reporter Rick Noland wrote on X.
“Shout out to an official just having a down-to-earth conversation with you, instead of sounding like we’re going to DEFCON 2,” another fan wrote.
“Every time there’s a flag I get excited to hear this guy’s explanation,” a third fan wrote on X.
Aside from the rough night for the referee, it seems the stadium vendors weren’t prepared for the volume of alcohol that was going to be consumed among the 26,542 in the crowd who were drinking.
Users at the game on social media complained that the Texas State side of the stadium sold out of alcohol before the first half ended.
By the end of the third quarter, all the alcoholic beverages at Gerald Ford Stadium were apparently sold out.
As for the game, Texas State linebacker Brian Holloway returned two interceptions for touchdowns and they shut out Rice for the final 30 minutes of the game on Tuesday.
After Rice tied the game at 21 with 3:40 left in the first half, Texas State scored 24 unanswered points to win the game.
Read more
