“You Have To Sleep With That, Mr. Referee That Ran Into The Back Of My Player”: Shaquille O’Neal Disappointed Over Officiating Controversy During Cowboys vs 49ers

Shaquille O’Neal is unhappy with the NFL referee that officiated the Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers game, a playoff game that ended in deep controversy. During his recent episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the former NBA superstar criticized the NFL officiating crew for conducting it that way. 

The play in question happened when the Dak Prescott-led Cowboys were trailing the Niners by 17-23. The quarterback, though had a slow start to the game, came under fire, when he was handed the ball in the Cowboys’ 20-yard line. His last stretch down the field happened within the last 32 seconds of the game, which was a commendable job carried by the quarterback. 

The Cowboys had just 14 seconds remaining in the clock when Dak ran a quarterback draw to get the Cowboys to the Niners’ 20-yard line. Nine seconds left; Prescott was about to play his final snap when the referee fumbled in from behind to spot the ball a foot back, costing the Cowboys the final precious seconds of the game. 

Also Read: “Damn Refs! Move Ref!”: Shaquille O’Neal Blasts NFL Referee Over Controversial Call During Cowboys vs 49ers

Dallas fans went bonkers inside the stadium, and the referee was criticized every which way possible. However, during a recent interview with NFL referee Alex Kemp, he said that the referee spotted the ball properly and conducted the play by the rule book. As per the NFL rules, the ball needs to be touched by the official before being snapped, implying that Prescott couldn’t have made the snap by himself. 

Shaquille O’Neal to the referee

Shaquille O’Neal, during the podcast, revealed that it was all referee’s fault. As per him, the officiating crew cost the Cowboys the game by denying them the final snap, which had the possibility of making the end zone.

Following this, the former NBA superstar was asked by host Nischelle Turner, “the referee’s position is a position of human error, how are you gonna blame the referee for not being able to run a four-four-four.” To which Shaq candidly replied, “There’s a conspiracy against the Cowboys. You have to sleep with that, Mr. Referee that ran into the back of my player. Sleep well tonight.”

The Cowboys lost the Wild Card game after having a spectacular regular season. And that was something hard to believe by the Dallas fans. It was an unfortunate exit by the Dallas Cowboys since they were denied their last opportunity to make the next round. However, every sport includes some margin of human error. And as Tom Brady put it, referring to the inadvertent whistle blown by a referee during the Bengal vs. Raiders matchup, “it’s an imperfect sport.” 

How much do you agree with that? Let us know in the comments below!

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