Question: What was the action that led to an offensive pass interference call on Amon-Ra St. Brown on the final play of the game?
Carl Cheffers: The official who called the foul said that the receiver created separation that gave him an advantage in catching the pass. So, he called pass interference.
Question: There was a pretty long discussion on the field between officials before the final call was announced. What were the officials discussing on the field after the last play?
Cheffers: It is a pretty complex play. We had the original player who had the ball, lose possession of the ball. So, we had to decide if that was a fumble or a backwards pass because of course we have restrictions on the recovery of a fumble inside of two minutes. We ruled that it was a backward pass, so the recovering player was able to advance it and that recovering player advanced it for a touchdown. We had to rule on that and then because of the offensive pass interference, it negates the touchdown. Because it is an offensive foul, we do not extend the half. Therefore, there is no score and there is no replay of the down. That’s the way the rule is written.
Question: A few plays earlier, there was an offensive pass interference penalty on Isaac TeSlaa that nullified a touchdown catch. What was the specific infraction that warranted throwing the flag?
Cheffers: The reporting official on that play told me that the offending player picked one of the defenders, creating an opportunity for the offensive player to make the catch.
Question: Was it deemed that he was beyond a yard of the line of scrimmage, more than one yard past the line of scrimmage?
Cheffers: Well, it has to be beyond a yard or it would not be a foul. The ruling on the field was that the action occurred beyond a yard.
