NFL referee Shawn Hochuli. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Watch: NFL referee honors father, calls penalty in German

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Nov 10, 2024 10:39 AM ET

Referee Shawn Hochuli must have invested in Rosetta Stone before he traveled to Munich, Germany, for the NFL International Series.

Late in the first quarter Sunday, with the Carolina Panthers leading the New York Giants, 7-0, Carolina center Cade Mays was flagged for a false start on a 3rd-and-3 at New York's 30-yard line. Hochuli called the penalty in German and English.

Even the refs are speaking German!

: #NYGvsCAR on NFL Network
: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/BgmxZn1unT
— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024

Hochuli was honoring his father, Ed, an NFL referee from 1990 to 2017. In 2005, he called a penalty in Spanish during the NFL's first game in Mexico between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals.

Ed Hochuli called a penalty in Spanish at the first NFL game in Mexico in 2005.

His son Shawn carried on the tradition by calling this penalty in German in Munich. ❤️ (h/t @FOS) https://t.co/0UoAiVzCQm pic.twitter.com/rxEFwuWNDm
— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024

According to Football Zebras — a website that tracks NFL and NCAA officiating — Hochuli's father worked 420 regular-season games and two Super Bowls.

Per Pro Football Reference, Hochuli was promoted from back judge to referee in 2018 but has yet to call a Super Bowl. It's still early in his career, so it wouldn't be surprising if he eventually does and continues to follow in his father's footsteps.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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