In Super Bowl XLIX the Seattle Seahawks trailed New England 28-24 with 26 seconds left, at the New England 1-yard line. Seattle chose to pass. Malcolm Butler intercepted, and the game was effectively over.
The head coach, Pete Carroll, said afterward: “I told those guys, ‘That’s my fault, totally.'” His offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell, said of the receiver: “He could have done a better job of staying strong on the ball.”
In April 1961 the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba failed. On April 21 John F. Kennedy told reporters: “There’s an old saying that victory has 100 fathers and defeat is an orphan.” He added that he was the responsible officer of the government.
Gallup then found his approval at 83%, up from 78% before the invasion. The saying was not his. A version appears in the 1942 diary of the Italian diplomat Count Galeazzo Ciano, who called it something that happens “as always.”
On June 5, 1944, the day before D-Day, General Dwight Eisenhower wrote a note to release if the landings failed. “My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. … If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”
He crossed out “This particular operation” and wrote “My decision to attack” in its place. He misdated the note July 5. It is kept at the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas.
Paper trail. Merriam-Webster defines it as “documents (such as financial records) from which a person’s actions may be traced or opinions learned,” in use since 1935.
Cover your ass, or CYA. “To keep oneself/someone else from being blamed or punished.” It can also name a risk-averse mentality, often characterized by excessive paperwork and documentation.
When a patient in an American hospital insists on leaving before the doctors agree, staff may ask the patient to sign a form saying the discharge is “against medical advice.” This happens about 500,000 times a year, 1% to 2% of all discharges.
Many clinicians assume this label protects them from liability. A 2017 article in the Journal of Hospital Medicine found that “the claim is not supported by the available literature.”
In the federal government, the official who certifies a payment is called a certifying officer. Under the law, this person “is responsible for the existence and correctness of the facts in the payment voucher he signs.” The officer is also “personally liable for the amount of any illegal, improper, or incorrect payment.”
Relief is possible for errors made in good faith. In 2007 an office of the Defense Logistics Agency asked for relief on behalf of one of its certifying officers. It concerned four payments totaling $402.81, among them restaurant lunches and coffee cups. The Government Accountability Office denied it.
On September 9, 2015, Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates sent a memo to federal prosecutors titled “Individual Accountability for Corporate Wrongdoing.” It said that investigations of companies “should focus on individuals from the inception of the investigation.”
The memo set a condition for companies that wanted leniency. To receive any credit for cooperating, a company had to give prosecutors all relevant facts about the individuals involved, whatever their position or seniority.
Since the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, a candidate’s television and radio ads must include “a statement by the candidate that identifies the candidate and states that the candidate has approved the communication.” This is why almost every American campaign ad contains the sentence “I approve this message.” The rule is known as the “Stand By Your Ad” provision.
The goal was to discourage negative ads, because the candidate would have to own them personally. It did not work. Negative ads continued to grow, and some researchers found that the candidate’s statement made certain attack ads more persuasive.
In Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, the Boston Red Sox were one strike from winning their first championship since 1918. In the tenth inning the New York Mets tied it. Mookie Wilson hit a slow ground ball toward first base. Vin Scully called it on television: “Little roller up along first, behind the bag. It gets through Buckner.” The Mets won the game, and two days later the Series.
For years, Boston blamed first baseman Bill Buckner for the loss. He received death threats and moved his family to Idaho. In 2008 he came back to Fenway Park to throw out the first pitch at the home opener. The crowd gave him a two-minute ovation. A Boston newspaper headline read “All Is Forgiven.”
Skin in the game. To have skin in the game is to carry a risk yourself, in money or otherwise, because you are involved in the goal. The phrase is often credited to Warren Buffett. William Safire disputed this and pointed to earlier uses. The earliest citation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1976.
Hero or goat. In sports, the goat is the player whose mistake is blamed for the loss. Merriam-Webster gives the example: “In the last inning, a home run can make you the hero, and a strikeout can make you the goat.”
Monday morning quarterback. This is someone who second-guesses. The phrase comes from a fan’s critical review of the weekend’s football game. Merriam-Webster dates it to 1931.