Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why Russell Wilson's 'lateral' was 'legit'

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why Russell Wilson’s ‘lateral’ was ‘legit’

Dan Hanzus

https://amp.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000888770/article/neil-degrasse-tyson-has-takes-on-seahawks-lateral?networkId=4595&site=.news&zone=story&zoneUrl=url%3Dstory&zoneKeys=s1%3Dstory&env=&pageKeyValues=prtnr%3Daround-the-league-u%3Bteam%3Dphi%3Bteam%3Dsea%3Bconf%3Dnfc%3Bdvsn%3Dnce%3Bdvsn%3Dncw%3Bplyr%3Drussell_wilson%3Bplyr%3Dmike_davis&p.ct=End%20Around&p.adsm=true&p.tcm=%23000&p.bgc1m=%23EAEAEA&sr=amp

People in Philadelphia are still ticked off about the lateral.

In the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s key conference showdown between the Eagles and Seahawks, Russell Wilson scrambled on third-and-9 and, as Eagles defenders closed in, flipped the ball to running back Mike Davis, who had been running alongside his quarterback. Davis took possession of the pigskin and rumbled another dozen yards for a 23-yard gain. The Seahawks finished off the drive with a touchdown and went on to win the game, 24-10.

Wilson’s transfer to Davis drew immediate suspicion, but the Eagles opted not to challenge the play. If they had, it stood a good chance that the replay office in New York would have ruled Wilson’s lateral was actually an illegal forward pass. Instead of a touchdown, Seattle likely would have punted the ball back to the Eagles in a seven-point game.

Let me clear up the illegal forward pass last night. It was forward and illegal since it was beyond the line. It was caught so the play remains alive. The fouls is 5 yards from the spot of the foul and loss of down which I think would have forced a punt. (more)

— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) December 4, 2017

All fair, Mike. That said, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll wasn’t ready to give up the fight, despite it being a battle in which his warriors had already claimed victory. Here’s what Carroll had to say during a Monday radio spot in Seattle:

“ already put in my calls to Neil deGrasse Tyson,” Carroll told 710 ESPN radio. “We’re talking physics now. I’m serious. I’m going to get an explanation about why that was a backwards lateral so that everybody understands. Because the ball was traveling at the speed that Russell was traveling.”

Did Pete Carroll really reach out to Neil deGrasse Tyson over The Lateral? Um, it looks like it!

FYI: The lateral that @DangeRussWilson threw to @MikeDavisRB in Sunday’s @Seahawks @Eagles game was a legit “Galilean Transformation”. In their reference frame, the ball went backwards. It’s not their fault they ran forward faster than the ball. pic.twitter.com/DHUKNtlcyj

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) December 5, 2017

In physics, a Galilean transformation is used to transform between the coordinates of two reference frames which differ only by constant relative motion within the constructs of Newtonian physics.

Got it? Good. And thanks for your input, famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. But Wilson flipped the ball at the 47-yard line and Davis gathered it at the 48. By the letter of the law, the Seahawks got away with one.