League: Call on Polamalu interception was official's judgment
Jan. 16, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
NEW YORK -- Referee Pete Morelli's decision to overturn an apparent interception by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu late in his team's game Sunday in Indianapolis was a judgment call, the NFL said Monday.
It came with 5:26 left in Pittsburgh's 21-18 win over the Colts.
Polamalu made a diving catch. When he got up to run, he fumbled the ball, then recovered. Colts coach Tony Dungy challenged and Morelli ruled Polamalu had not completed the catch, so it was an incomplete pass.
About a dozen TV and scoreboard replays indicated otherwise.
The Colts kept the ball and went on to score, cutting Pittsburgh's lead to three points in a game that ended with a missed field goal by Indy's Mike Vanderjagt that could have sent it to overtime.
"The issue was whether he had possession. The ball came loose when he was getting up. Pete Morelli determined it wasn't a catch," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "That was his judgment."
Aiello added that the league's officiating department had not yet officially reviewed the call to determine if Morelli had made the right decision.
The NFL almost never makes public the result of its reviews, although it did three years ago, when supervisor of officials Mike Pereira said officials should have called pass interference against San Francisco on the final play of a wild-card game with the New York Giants. The correct call would have given New York a second chance to kick a game-winning field goal in a 39-38 loss.
Aiello had no comment on a remark by Pittsburgh's Joey Porter, who said of the Polamalu ruling:
"I know they wanted Indy to win this game; the whole world loves Peyton Manning. But come on, man, don't take the game away from us like that."
In the past, players who have made comments like that have been subject to fines.
beat me by 9 seconds...
"About a dozen TV and scoreboard replays indicated otherwise." --- right, and every ex-pro player-turned commentator on TV has said the call was total crap. It was so bad Salsbury even said it looked like a FIX...... then he properly backed away from that like a guy with a rattlesnake by his bare foot.
"The issue was whether he had possession. The ball came loose when he was getting up. Pete Morelli determined it wasn't a catch," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "That was his judgment." ---- crumby judgment. The pros on TV said this guy's "judgment" should not be involved in any future playoff games.
"Aiello added that the league's officiating department had not yet officially reviewed the call to determine if Morelli had made the right decision." --- yeh right. They're just getting their wordsmiths together.