TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Bettors Miss Point(s)

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 18, 2008

Updated: 11/18/2008 12:22 am

LAS VEGAS - The Pittsburgh Steelers walked off the field Sunday just happy they had won.

A lot of bettors in this gambling city were more concerned by how many points they ended up winning by.

Winners turned into losers and losers ended up winning when a game that should have ended 17-10 or 18-10 instead went into the record books as the first 11-10 final in NFL history. Though the score made no difference in the win and loss column, it did in the wallets of a lot of bettors on the Las Vegas Strip.

"Anyone who had a bet on the Pittsburgh side and thought they had won weren't too happy," said John Avello, director of the race and sports book at the Wynn resort.

A mistake by the officials on the final play of the game between the Steelers and San Diego Chargers didn't alter the outcome. But it did mean bettors who thought they had won money on the game actually lost.

The Steelers were favored by four points, meaning the apparent touchdown scored by the Steelers' Troy Polamalu on the last play of the game made the difference between Pittsburgh covering the point spread or not. When the touchdown was disallowed, Pittsburgh bettors who thought they had won on a fluke on the last play were left holding worthless tickets.

"On the final play of Sunday's game between the Chargers and Steelers, Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu returned a loose ball 12 yards for a defensive touchdown," the league said in a statement. "After an instant replay review and crew conference, the on-field ruling of touchdown was incorrectly reversed to no touchdown due to an illegal forward pass by San Diego."

Rule Ties Up McNabb, Eagles

PHILADELPHIA - Tie? What tie?

A day after the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals played a 13-13 tie - the league's first since 2002 - the focus wasn't on how poorly the teams performed on the field. Instead, everyone wanted to know how it's possible some pro football players, especially a 10-year veteran quarterback such as Donovan McNabb, don't know simple rules about overtime games.

"I'm sure there are plenty of rules that guys don't understand, but I don't think that has any factor whatsoever to do with the outcome of this game and how they played in the overtime," Eagles coach Andy Reid said Monday. "I think that's absurd. You play to win in that time, whether you think you have another overtime period or you don't."

"I've never been a part of a tie. I never even knew that was in the rule book," McNabb said after the game. "It's part of the rules, and we have to go with it."

The overtime rule was adopted fully by the NFL in 1974 and 17 games have since ended tied. The Eagles have been involved in four of them.

"I guess we're aware of it now," McNabb said. "In college, there are multiple overtimes, and in high school and Pop Warner. I never knew in the professional ranks it would end that way. I hate to see what would happen in the Super Bowl and in the playoffs."

McNabb wasn't the only one oblivious to the rules.

"I found out while we were in OT," rookie wideout DeSean Jackson said.

"I thought we kept playing," linebacker Omar Gaither said.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT