The referee for the Rose Bowl fumbled by calling Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) the wrong name during the ceremonial coin toss at midfield.
Kelly and his wife, Gabby Giffords, appeared at midfield with the opposing teams, Penn State and Utah, during the clash at the famous Pasadena, California, stadium.
The focus appeared to be so much on gun violence survivor Giffords, however, that referee Michael Vandervelde forgot Kelly’s name.
“And next, the grand marshal of the tournament of roses, Ms. Gabby Giffords, alongside her husband here, Sen. Mark Lewis,” Vandervelde said.
Sen. Mark Kelly and Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords were at midfield for the coin toss of the Rose Bowl 👏
pic.twitter.com/n8OpCgTwHg— VaultedPolitics (@VaultedPolitics) January 2, 2023
A pregnant pause followed the gaffe before Vandervelde quickly moved on.
Adding to the awkwardness was Kelly filming his wife on his iPhone throughout the whole encounter. Kelly’s focus on his filming appeared to leave him unaware of the gaffe.
Kelly, a former NASA astronaut, defeated Blake Masters in November’s midterm elections, winning 51.4% of the vote.
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Penn State would go on to win the game handily, beating Utah 35-21. Nittany Lions wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith had the longest touchdown reception in Rose Bowl history on an 88-yard pass from Sean Clifford.
