Did you bet the San Francisco 49ers (with the spread) in last night's Thursday Night Football game? If so, let us just say that we are deeply sorry for your loss. No, really. We are. We moneylined the Packers a few weeks back when they played the Seahawks and…oh, wait. No. Nevermind. Gambling is bad, kids! Very, very bad!
But, if you did gamble on the game, we feel your pain (even if we're not really supposed to admit it). Here's why: Late in the game, with the 49ers leading 13-6, the Seahawks committed a penalty in their own end zone for a safety that very likely would have ended the game (they would have had to punt the ball away to San Fran, who could have taken two knees to end it). Ball game with a final score of 15-6—and a cover for those who bet the Niners since the spread was -7, -7.5, and -8 in most places—right? Er, not exactly. Instead of taking the safety, Harbaugh actually decided to decline the penalty since it occurred on fourth down and opted to keep the score 13-6 and take two knees to end the game. It was something that, quietly frankly, no one had ever seen before. Even the refs seemed to just assume that Harbaugh would take the safety.
"With the Packers game, it was in the hands of the replacement refs," gambling insider Jimmy Vaccaro told ESPN, "and this time it was in the hands of Harbaugh's decision. That's what makes sports betting so unique. There's always a human torch involved."
Unique? UNIQUE? UNIQUE?!? How about infuriating? Or, frustrating? Or, blood-boiling? Yeah, those will all work. We can't believe that he did it! He just lost us so much fuc...Oh, sorry again. We'll relax.
Anyway, it's estimated that as much as $75 million in bets changed hands because of the bad break. So, hey, at the very least, you're not alone if you lost money because of Harbaugh's decision. And, we're sure that that makes you feel better, right? Uhhh…Riiiiiiight.
Like, we said, kids: Gambling is bad! Doesn't this illustrate that? Unless, of course, you had the Seahawks, in which case...
[via ESPN]
