Jimmy Garoppolo Panders To Raiders Fanbase As First Tour Of Team Facility Reveals Baffling Mural Of 'Tuck Rule Game' Loss
Jimmy Garoppolo is the newest quarterback of the Raiders. The 31-year-old, who spent his first four seasons with New England, is reunited with Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas after signing as a free agent earlier this month.
Not long after signing, Garoppolo arrived in Sin City. He took a tour of the team facility at the (almost) three-year-old Allegiant Stadium, and immediately pandered to his new fanbase.
While checking out his new digs, Garoppolo encountered a mural that depicted the controversial "Tuck Rule Game" and immediately declared that the now-infamous play resulted in a fumble. It was exactly what Raiders fans wanted to hear.
The Tuck Rule Game, also known as "Snow Bowl 2," took place on Jan. 19, 2002. Late in the fourth quarter, Oakland cornerback Charles Woodson tackled Tom Brady and appeared to cause a fumble.
Had the play remained a fumble, the Raiders almost certainly would have gone on to win the AFC Divisional playoff game and advanced to the AFC Championship. That is not what happened.
Upon further review, officials determined that Brady was trying to "tuck" the ball back into his body. In turn, it was ruled an incomplete pass and not a fumble. The Patriots later went on to win.
It remains a controversial topic to this day.
Garoppolo saw the painting of the Tuck Rule Game in his new team's facility. He immediately declared that the fumble should have stood.
That's great, but it raises a bigger question. Why did the Raiders put up a painting of one of the franchise's most demoralizing, disappointing losses in the first place?
The organization spent nearly $2 billion to build Allegiant Stadium. It has all of the bells and whistles. It couldn't be more beautiful, at least on the inside.
And at some point, the team decided to hang up a picture that reminds its fans and players of one of the worst moments in franchise history. Why?!