Audiences were astounded today to hear an NFL ref speaking German on the field.
NFL fans and commentators alike were flummoxed today to hear a referee call out a penalty in perfect German.
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During today’s match-up between the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, referee Shawn Hochuli unexpectedly called out a penalty in German, saying “Fehlstart angriff, fünf yards strafe.”
That translates to “False start offense, five-yard penalty.” Interestingly, Hochuli then switched back to English, continuing “It’s by the center, it’s third down.” It is unclear why the ref called the penalty in half-and-half languages, but it had a pretty immediate effect on commentators.
As one can hear in the official NFL clip above, sportscaster Rich Eisen is audibly surprised and lets out an “OH!” while another voice says “Look at Shawn Hochuli, hooked on phonics.
