Clete Blakeman, who needed two attempts to flip a coin during the NFC Divisional Round matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals, will be the referee for Super Bowl 50, according to FootballZebras.com (h/t Kevin Siefert of ESPN).
During the coin toss before overtime, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers called tails. It landed on heads, but Blakeman quickly plucked the coin off the ground after it failed to flip.
Blakeman tossed the coin a second time. This time it flipped but landed on heads yet again. Had it landed on tails, the Cardinals may have taken issue with what could’ve been considered an unnecessary flip.
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Per Seifert, there is no NFL rule that states the coin must flip in order to be valid.
However, Rodgers said he would’ve changed his call from heads to tails but was never given the opportunity despite the second flip.
“He picked the coin up and flipped it to tails, and then he flipped it without giving me a chance to make a recall there. It was confusing,” Rodgers said, according to Sports Illustrated.
Arizona ultimately scored a touchdown on the opening possession of overtime and advanced to the NFC Championship.
The past cannot be changed, but at least Blakeman will have a few weeks to perfect his coin-tossing skills before the big game on Feb. 7.