Cowboys-Detroit Referee Quits After $500,000 Rigged Hoax: Pete Morelli Didn’t Fix Game

An article saying Dallas Cowboys-Detroit Lions referee Pete Morelli quit his job after “coming into $500,000” is fake. Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Anthony Hitchens (59) gets hit in the back by a pass intended for Detroit Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew (87) during the fourth quarter of an NFL wildcard playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Richard W. Rodriguez) MAGS OUT; (FORT WORTH WEEKLY, 360 WEST); INTERNET OUT

An article saying Dallas Cowboys-Detroit Lions referee Pete Morelli quit his job after “coming into $500,000” is fake.

It was posted on Nahadaily.com, a satirical website.

Here’s the site’s disclaimer: “NahaDaily is a daily satirical news source. Meaning complete fiction.“ It also says: ”NahaDaily is completely fictional and is based off of current events in urban culture and entertainment. This is satire and parody.”

A number of people were commenting on the story as if it were real on Tuesday. There’s no truth to it.

It reads in part:

“Whats so crazy about me quitting after that game? People I’ve known my whole life accused me of cheating. My friends, my family even the bank teller that deposited my $500,000 check.” Said Referee Pete Morelli. When asked about his new Rolex he replied “No comment”

After Sunday nights game fans and NFL experts were left confused and suspicious of the Cowboys vs Detroit Lions referee that quits after coming into $500,000. “It was weird , he kept telling me to relax and he'll do all the work. And a white man would never say that, at least not to another white man.” Says one of the officiating referees.

In the fourth quarter of the Lions-Cowboys game, there was a call for pass interference on Dallas that was picked up, causing many to accuse the referees of fixing the game.

According to The Associated Press:

Dean Blandino, the NFL’s officiating chief, has some answers. They’re not likely to placate many.

Blandino told The Associated Press on Monday that referee Pete Morelli erred in originally announcing an interference call on Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens before discussing it with the back judge who made the call, and with other members of the crew. The head linesman, who was closer to the play, then “gave more information, and that from his perspective it was not enough contact (for pass interference) and that there was not enough contact that restricted the receiver (Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew).”

“The mechanics we would prefer are that the conversation occurs before the initial announcement,” Blandino said, “so there is one announcement and no confusion if a foul was committed or not.”