What he actually saw was the end of his career as a commercial pilot; “QUICK; I NEED AN EXCUSE, OR SOME BODY ELSE TO BLAME”.
Pilots have been blinded by lasers before and civilians have been arrested and sentenced to prison terms for this offense. It probably depends on the timing. The guy wielding the laser might have fortuitously hit the sweet spot, the critical moments during which any mistake would have caused an accident. A guy with 10,000 flying hours doesn't seem like someone who would crash an idiot-proof plane like a large commercial jet by accident. Yes, it was his first landing at SFO, but every pilot has a first time.