Prisoner sues NFL for $88 billion over Dez Bryant's overturned catch
Were it not for Deflate-Gate, we'd probably still be talking about Dez Bryant's overturned catch, the one that helped the Packers defeat Bryant's Cowboys two weeks ago in the NFC Divisional playoffs. But one man, at least, hasn't forgotten, and this man hopes to make the NFL pay for what he sees as a gross miscarriage of justice.
Terry Hendrix, an inmate in a Colorado correctional facility, has filed an $88 billion — that's billion with a "B" — lawsuit against the NFL over the reversal. The total figure is $88,987,654,321.88, with both 88s presumably a reference to Bryant's uniform number.
In his handwritten petition, Hendrix, a prisoner at Fremont Correctional Center in Cañon City, Colorado, seeks the money for reasons including but not limited to "for but not limited to: negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and also wreckless [sic] disregard."
Bryant, as you may recall, appeared to catch the ball just outside the Packers' end zone late in the fourth quarter, setting Dallas up for what would have been a go-ahead score. Instead, the referees overturned the catch on the Packers' challenge, saying Bryant did not have control of the ball and did not make a football move before going to the ground. The Packers ended up winning and advanced to the NFC Championship, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
Hendrix named NFL Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino, game referee Gene Steratore and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the suit. He filed "on behalf of Dez Bryan #88, all Dallas Cowboys fans, and all people in or and [sic] from the sovereign republic of Texas," claiming that the plaintiffs "did suffer a true injury in fact when the respondent(s) did commit a fraud," referring to the "video reversal" of an "outstanding thirty one (31) yard pass reception by Dez Bryant #88."
Hendrix further states that the suit will prove "the simple fact that Dean Blandino, Gene Steratore, and Roger Goodell are wrong, and have stolen a victory from the plaintiffs, because the Cowboys offense would have perfectly created an "Autobahn" for for [sic] DeMarco Murray to drive into the end zone for the score and victory."
Sadly, it's highly unlikely this will ever see the inside of a courtroom, but if it did, this would make for far better drama than anything Deflate-Gate has given us. Here's the full petition:
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.
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