A football struck the underside of the scoreboard at B.C. Place Stadium on Friday night — only this time, it inexplicably got stuck.
The moment occurred on a kick from veteran B.C. punter Stefan Flintoft, who has bounced footballs off the underside of the video screen on two previous occasions this season. This time, the football came to a rest on the undercarriage of the large scoreboard, never returning to the ground from where it was kicked.
In a bizarrely meta moment, the ball was displayed on the same video screen under which it was stuck.
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) September 28, 2024
“This one had no business hitting it, it wasn’t as good as the other two,” Flintoft laughed post-game.
“(It getting stuck is) what I’m really pissed about, because now we just lost a game ball and we’ve got to put another one into the bag for next week’s game. That’s a big fine for me in our specialist fines, so that’s a bummer.”
The punter elaborated that his fine would likely be equivalent to the cost of the new ball, which can run over upwards of $100. The money collected will go towards a dinner for the team’s specialist group at the end of the year.
Head official Ben Major went semi-viral for his comments the first time a ball struck the scoreboard at B.C. Place Stadium on Aug. 18 against Winnipeg.
“The kick hit the scoreboard, which is pretty odd,” said Major. “We’re gonna re-do everything.”
The veteran official was ready the second time it happened on Sept. 13 during a matchup between Toronto and B.C., addressing the crowd like a stand-up comedian at a gig.
“The kick hit the scoreboard — again,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s third down.”
Tom Vallesi, the head official for Friday night’s game between the Tiger-Cats and Lions, referenced Major’s comments when giving his own explanation of the play.
Best response to the ball hitting the scoreboard. 🤣 #CFLGameDay@TSN_Sports
📱: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/YXgvXksAsY— CFL (@CFL) September 28, 2024
“There’s not much more I can say than Ben has said,” said Vallesi. “Yada, yada, yada, we’re going to re-do the play.”
His comments drew laughter from the crowd as well as TSN play-by-play men Farhan Lalji and Glen Suitor.
“It takes a certain position on the field and a certain type of kick to hit it, which is why after every single one, we switch positions,” Flintoft explained of the circumstances behind the kick. “When you’re going left hash kicking it right or right hash kicking it left, that’s when it comes into play. And these returners are too good, so I’m not going to hit it low.”
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats made a shocking comeback to beat the B.C. Lions in overtime by a score of 32-29 after trailing by 15 points to start the fourth quarter. While the game itself was entertaining, the stuck ball will surely live on in infamy.
