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NFL Ref Wows Fans by Calling Penalty in German During Panthers–Giants Game

The crowd in Munich, Germany loved hearing Shawn Hochuli speak German.

Madison Williams

NFL referee Shawn Hochuli calls a penalty in German.
NFL referee Shawn Hochuli calls a penalty in German. / NFL/Screengrab
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The NFL hosted its fourth game in Germany on Sunday, and referee Shawn Hochuli wowed the crowd during the Carolina Panthers vs. New York Giants game.

Hochuli called a penalty in German during the first quarter of the game, which was a false start penalty on Panthers center Cade Mays. He said the whole penalty in German except the end when he said "It's by the center, it's third down."

This penalty caused quite the reaction from fans at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany with the crowd cheering loudly for Hochuli, who couldn't help but crack a smile from their reaction.

NFL Network announcers Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner were equally surprised and impressed by Hochuli's German.

"Wow! There we go! Showing up!" they said.

What made this moment more of a full circle is that Hochuli's dad, Ed, officiated the NFL's first game in Mexico back in 2005 and called the league's first penalty in Spanish, per Front Office Sports. What an impressive father-son duo.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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