Sports

NFL Referee Laughs At Aaron Rodgers For Late Hit Penalty After New York Jets QB Crashed Out Hard

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Aaron Rodgers Late Hit Penalty Referee Laugh
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Aaron Rodgers was called for a late hit during Sunday’s NFL game against the Buffalo Bills. Yes, you read that sentence correctly.

Even the head referee had to stifle a laugh while penalizing a quarterback for unnecessary roughness.

The unusual sequence of events took place during the fourth quarter. New York trailed 12-0 at the time and the Jets were driving toward their first touchdown of the game. They had the ball on 3rd-and-19 from the 41-yard-line.

Rodgers dropped back in the pocket and immediately looked to his left. Allen Lazard was coming across the middle but a pair of Buffalo defensive backs loomed large. The 41-year-old quarterback tried to force a throw into the nonexistent window anyway. It was picked off!

Bills defensive back Christian Benford returned the interception about 25 yards back to the 47-yard-line. As he slipped out of bounds, Rodgers came in an gave him an extra shove that warranted a penalty flag.

NFL officials ruled that Benford already gave himself up by the time he was touched by the opposing quarterback. Aaron Rodgers was issued a personal foul penalty for unnecessary roughness. That never happens. Rarely, if ever, is a quarterback flagged for a late hit!

Head referee Clete Blakeman could not believe what he was saying when he announced the penalty. Never before had he made that call and it gave him a good chuckle, literally.

The New York Jets dropped to 4-12 with another ugly loss on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers became the most-sacked quarterback in NFL history and threw multiple interceptions. He also became the first quarterback to get called for a late hit in a very, very long time — if ever.

Rodgers completely crashed out during the game, which could be his second-to-last game as a member of the New York Jets. It is certainly not a performance he will want to remember.