Bills vs. Texans NFL Ref Clay Martin’s Career as a Basketball Coach

There’s a whole lot of basketball in this week’s NFL schedule. First, it was Jayden Daniels who was seen making a couple of free throws during his warm-up before the matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Now, NFL official Clay Martin is the one who slipped up and misspoke, bringing basketball into the football world and promptly becoming the center of attention for this silly incident.

While calling a foul during the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans, Martin was heard saying “basketball” instead of football. Even commentator Ian Eagle was left baffled, but he playfully quipped, “It’s almost basketball season.”

“After crew discussion, the runner was out of bounds before he fumbled the basketball”: These were the words that will now become the butt of the joke. However, fans may not realize that Martin’s error could have been a consequence of his habit as the varsity basketball coach and athletic director at Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma.

Martin was named the Athletic Director in June this year after being involved with the program for over 21 years. Moreover, he was also the head coach of the school’s basketball team from 2003 to 2015 and then from 2017 to 2022, making it evident that his passion for basketball was right on the tip of his tongue.

Additionally, he has been a renowned NFL referee since 2015 and is usually appreciated by the fans. However, amid the current atmosphere of distrust toward officials in the game, the athletic director of Jenks’ basketball program received a negative reception for his blunder.

The fans react harshly to Martin’s “basketball” mishap

While some fans were able to find the humor in this situation, others escalated to demands of punishment and shared their brutal opinions on NFL referees.

This user, however, had a positive outlook on Martin’s mistake and appreciated his team’s impact on the sport with his comment, while others were not as kind.

Given that players are often slapped with hefty fines for the silliest mistakes, Martin could also find himself in trouble if the league decides to intervene. However, since this was a minor issue that had the majority of fans laughing, it’s unlikely that the league will punish him.