Mark Sanchez’s infamous Butt Fumble still haunts Jets fans, but fondly remembering the blooper has become a Thanksgiving tradition for the former Patriots player who scooped the ball up.
Steve Gregory is now the defensive backs coach for the Detroit Lions. But on Nov. 22, 2012, he was the Pat who recovered the ball after Sanchez ran into the rear end of his own teammate, Brandon Moore. Gregory then returned the Butt Fumble 32 yards for a touchdown in a 49-19 Patriots win over the Jets on Thanksgiving night.
In the moment, Gregory had no idea just how hilarious the play was — or that it would go down as one of the biggest blunders in NFL history.
“It really wasn’t until the locker room after the game I think somebody said, ‘Hey, you scored on the Butt Fumble,'” Gregory recently told USA TODAY. “I’m like, ‘What? What are you talking about?’ After the game is when it all kind of started coming together and hearing about it on the news and all that stuff.”
Eight years later, the play is still shown every Thanksgiving. It has become a holiday staple for football fans, no different than turkey and stuffing.
“Obviously, it’s great that we’re still living it,” Gregory said. “I’m going to be an old man one day talking to my grandkids and that play’s probably going to be being shown on the TV still, so I’m excited about that.”
Jets fans, of course, would rather forget the play, which began on New York’s own 31-yard line. Sanchez got the snap and was looking to hand it off to his fullback, Lex Hilliard, who had already run past him looking to block. Sanchez, with no idea what to do, decided to run with the ball himself and crashed into the butt of Moore, his right guard. The ball came loose and was returned by Gregory for a touchdown to give the Patriots a 20-0 lead.
Now, every Thanksgiving, the Gregory family reenacts the play before the final part of their holiday meal.
“My family sets up an offensive line and someone plays Vince Wilfork and someone plays Mark Sanchez,” Gregory explained, “and it’s a good little family tradition right before dessert.”
