Refs Screw The Seahawks By Not Reviewing Obvious Pass Interference On The Niners At End Of Game

The final game of the season between the Seahawks and the Niners had major playoff implications and of course it was marred by another referee controversy.

At the end of the game with the Seahwawks down five points and less than fifteen seconds to go, Niners linebacker Fred Warner appeared to hold Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister near the goal line. The refs missed the call and then refused to use the new pass interference replay review system that was implemented at the beginning of the season to avoid missing calls like these.

Update: NFL senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron explained that the NFL did review the play and determined it was not pass interference

Via Tim Booth pool report

“Well, we actually looked at it here in New York,”. “We had a great look. NBC gives us a great look of the entire route. So, we actually did perform a review, but based on what we saw, we didn’t see enough to stop the game. But we did review it.

“What we see is, we see the offensive player come in and initiate contact on the defensive player — nothing that rises to the level of a foul which significantly hinders the defender, nothing that is clear and obvious through visual evidence, which hinders the defender. The defender then braces himself. And there is contact by the defender on the receiver. Again, nothing which rises to the level of a foul based on visual evidence. Nothing happens that rises to the level of a foul while the ball is in the air before it gets there by either player.”

Fans went on to bash the NFL for implementing a new pass interference replay review system and not using it when it matters.