"Touchdown Seahawks."
Two words that have become synonymous with the "Fail Mary" are also two words that have become a nightmare for the man who made the "Fail Mary" call: Replacement referee Lance Easley.
Back in September 2012, Easley ruled in front of a national television audience that a last second Hail Mary thrown by Russell Wilson had been caught by Golden Tate for a touchdown, even though it looked like Packers defensive back M.D. Jennings had intercepted it.
Easley ruled that there was simultaneous possession on the play, giving Tate the touchdown and giving the Seahawks a 14-12 win.
The NFL was so embarrassed by the situation that three days after the game, the replacement refs were out and the regular refs were back.
Everything was back to normal. Except it wasn't. Not for Easley.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports, the 55-year-old said that his life has taken a turn for the worse since the call and that he's now battling depression.
"Right now I'm just trying to keep my life together," Easley said. "It's really difficult."
Easley says he's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and that he also regularly suffers panic attacks.
"It's almost like a funeral," Easley said. "In the days around it you have a lot of support and you make it through. But as time goes by, you still have to process [the loss of a loved one]."
Things have been so bad for Easley, that at one point, he even considered taking his own life.
"I felt like I didn't want to be here anymore," Easley said. "I never acted on it. It was horrible to have those thoughts. I hated having those thoughts."
The "Fail Mary" brought instant fame to Easley, who was just an anonymous replacement referee before making the call that turned him into a pseudo-celebrity.
There was the bad, Easley received threats and was a national punchline, but there was also good. In May 2013, Easley umpired Richard Sherman's charity softball tournament. Two months later, Easley released a book about the "Fail Mary."
The fleeting fame is gone though and everything's changed.
In the past eight months, Easley has been admitted to both a psychiatric facility and a mental health rehab center. The 55-year-old is on medical leave from his job with Bank of America and he's also been separated from his wife of 28-years since September.
"I am not the same guy I used to be," Easley said. "I know I'll recover. I know it. It's just going to take time to get through it."
For now, Easley will try and get through it -- with help. Easley said that the NFL has made resources available. The former referee has also done Bible study over the phone with Tony Dungy and CBS' NFL host James Brown.
