Posted on 01/16/2006 1:52:17 PM PST by TheBigB
NEW YORK -- The NFL said the referee made a mistake: Troy Polamalu caught the ball.
The league acknowledged Monday that referee Pete Morelli erred when he overturned on replay Polamalu's interception of a Peyton Manning pass Sunday in the playoff game between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.
Mike Pereira, the league's vice president of officiating, said in a statement that Morelli should have upheld the call, made with 5:26 left in Pittsburgh's win over the Colts.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
LOOOKY HERE!!!
NFL ping fodder.
No kidding. If he had been touched when he was on the ground, it would have been ruled a catch.
Good thing the Steelers won then.
There were quite a few lousy calls in tha game... but the team that played better won.
It was a bad call. If he'd stayed down they'd have called it an interception, so that he tried to get up and dropped it and grabbed it again is still an interception.
No kidding.
well, Paul Begala, turns out the call was wrong....
When calls this egregious are made on review, one has to wonder if the referee is betting on the game. This was not a gray area and it wasn't a call made during play. Morelli should be suspended without pay.
The worst officiating in the all the playoff games ever...very obvious the NFL did not want New England in there either.
Pats/Steelers would have been the best matchup.
I am no Steelers' fan, but that was one of the worst calls I've ever seen and I've watched a lotta footballs. Given that the ref had the replay to go by it's hard to see how he messed up.
Gotta agree that interference call in the Patriot's game was totally bogus.
No, they've got to play the game over again.
How else do you make amends for a call this lousy?
I'm kidding.
I stand corrected.
How can you review a play, in slow motion..and still GET IT WRONG ?
everyone knew that was an int. except the offical
"The definition of a catch -- or in this case an interception -- states that in the process of making a catch a player must maintain possession of the ball after he contacts the ground," Pereira said.
"The initial call on the field was that Troy Polamalu intercepted the pass because he maintained possession of the ball after hitting the ground. The replay showed that Polamalu had rolled over and was rising to his feet when the ball came loose. He maintained possession long enough to establish a catch. Therefore, the replay review should have upheld the call on the field that it was a catch and fumble.
"The rule regarding the performing of an act common to the game applies when there is contact with a defensive player and the ball comes loose, which did not happen here."
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