College football referee Ed Ardito made a minor mistake on a call during the First Responder Bowl Tuesday that would have gone unnoticed by all but a few fans.
Except for the inconvenient fact that he cursed when he realized his error, and he shouted that curse while his PA microphone was on.
Talk about the ultimate hot mic moment.
Early in the second half, Texas State called a timeout.
“Timeout, Texas State, that’s their first … that is a 30-second timeout,” Ardito announced to the crowd and TV audience.
Then, Ardito had his hot mic moment.
“Damn it!” he shouted. “Correction, full media timeout.”
Wait for it…whoops. https://t.co/e3pdPIUiGA pic.twitter.com/zzls02GYJz
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 27, 2023
No doubt countless fans watching the game in person in Dallas caught that, as did those watching at home on ESPN/ESPN+. Several noted the officiating crew seemed to be having a bad night in general.
“This poor referee at First Responder Bowl. No idea why I’m watching,” noted Cleveland Cavaliers beat reporter Rick Noland.
This poor referee at First Responder Bowl. No idea why I'm watching 😂🥺🤪😁🏈
— Rick Noland MG/CT (@RickNoland) December 27, 2023
“The referee in the First Responder Bowl sounds totally overwhelmed,” tweeted Andrew Champagne.
The referee in the First Responder Bowl sounds totally overwhelmed.
— Andrew Champagne (@AndrewChampagne) December 27, 2023
The Referees in the First Responder Bowl, currently… pic.twitter.com/VH6Q0ubDqz
— ᴊɪᴍ (@Jimapedia) December 27, 2023
Ardito’s hot mic mishap wasn’t the first strange event during the First Responder Bowl. After Texas State kicked a field goal as time expired in the first half, TSN tweeted, “Texas State takes the First Responder Bowl over Rice with a game-winning FG!”
