I misspoke in that I was thinking of pause frames (01:80:C2:00:00:01).
Perhaps, this is an error that has been worked around for a long time. It is possible that the FEC trashes ANY frame with an odd first oclet.
I am referring to sec 18.4.8 in the specification. Per flow chart it appears that ANY odd first oclet is assumed to be a pause frame. There is more going one than a simple compare.
Can you run your test again to determine if all odd first oclets are trashed?
What about the pause frame above?