Following the controversial call and the chaos that ensued after the Seattle Seahawks' 14-12 Monday Night Football victory, the NFL has released a statement upholding the ruling.
The league explained the play in a statement released Tuesday and said that the touchdown should not have been overturned. The statement also admitted that Golden Tate did commit an offensive pass interference penalty, but that part of the play is not allowed to be reviewed with replay.
"This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference," the statement says, "which would have ended the game."
The league did not get into specifics about whether the play was called correctly in the first place, but said that after it was ruled that way, proper protocol was followed.
The replacement officials ruled on the field that Tate and Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings both had possession of the ball, which is a reception for the offense. Since the call was ruled on the field, the NFL explained that the referee was correct in ruling on the replay that no indisputable visual evidence existed to overturn the call.
The play was reviewed on replay and the aspects of it that were eligible to be overturned were if the ball hit the ground and who had possession of the ball.
The real controversy wasn't that the call was upheld, that was correct, but that Tate was granted possession in the first place on the call. The video replay clearly shows that Jennings came down with possession of the ball and that Tate wrestled the ball after they hit the ground.
The NFL said that the officials were able to review the catch, and that simultaneous possession is reviewable only on plays in the end zone. But one official clearly had his hands signaling interception while another signaled touchdown.
Another issue is that the officials never huddled to get a consensus on the call, which is common in the NFL.
The statement outlines some rules that applied to the play from the official NFL rulebook:
-- Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, in which the player catching the pass (whether offensive or defensive) maintains possession as he "touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands"
-- Item 1 of the same article, which states the player "must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone"
-- And Item 5 of the same rule that states, "If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers"
As pointed out by USA Today, Item 5 also has some language that could have given the Packers the interception. Item 5 states: "It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control."
Based on the replay, this seems to have been the ruling that should have come from the officials.
The whole situation leaves a bad taste in Green Bay's mouth and is another glaring embarrassment for the league and their emplacement officials.
Here is the official statement from the NFL, which was posted on Tuesday at 12:21 p.m.:
Editor's note: The following is a statement issued by the NFL regarding Golden Tate's game-winning touchdown catch at the conclusion of Monday night's game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks:
In Monday's game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, Seattle faced a 4th-and-10 from the Green Bay 24 with eight seconds remaining in the game.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson threw a pass into the end zone. Several players, including Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate and Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings, jumped into the air in an attempt to catch the ball.
While the ball is in the air, Tate can be seen shoving Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields to the ground. This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference, which would have ended the game. It was not called and is not reviewable in instant replay.
When the players hit the ground in the end zone, the officials determined that both Tate and Jennings had possession of the ball. Under the rule for simultaneous catch, the ball belongs to Tate, the offensive player. The result of the play was a touchdown.
Replay Official Howard Slavin stopped the game for an instant replay review. The aspects of the play that were reviewable included if the ball hit the ground and who had possession of the ball. In the end zone, a ruling of a simultaneous catch is reviewable. That is not the case in the field of play, only in the end zone.
Referee Wayne Elliott determined that no indisputable visual evidence existed to overturn the call on the field, and as a result, the on-field ruling of touchdown stood. The NFL Officiating Department reviewed the video today and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review.
The result of the game is final.
Applicable rules to the play are as follows:
A player (or players) jumping in the air has not legally gained possession of the ball until he satisfies the elements of a catch listed here.
Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3 of the NFL Rule Book defines a catch:
A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds:
(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
(b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
(c) maintains control of the ball long enough, after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, to enable him to perform any act common to the game (i.e., maintaining control long enough to pitch it, pass it, advance with it, or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.).
When a player (or players) is going to the ground in the attempt to catch a pass, Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 1 states:
Player Going to the Ground. If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.
Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 5 states:
Simultaneous Catch. If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.
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