The New England Patriots lost to the Carolina Panthers in controversial fashion Monday night. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was intercepted as the game ended, but it looked like tight end Rob Gronkowski got held by Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly with a flag initially thrown before referee Clete Bakeman waved off the flag after determining that the pass was underthrown and wasn't catchable by Gronkowski. "So it was determined at that point in time that when the primary contact occurred on the tight end that the ball, in essence, was coming in underthrown and in essence it was [immediately] at that point intercepted at the front end of the end zone," Blakeman told a pool reporter. "So there was a determination that, in essence, uncatchability, that the ball was intercepted at or about the same time the primary contact against the receiver occurred." Source: National Football Post Walnuts's Take: Well I think anyone with eyes can see that contact was initiated well before the ball arrived, so that's a pretty garbage explanation, IMO. I doubt he would have been able to make the catch even if he wasn't interfered with, but he definitely would have had a good chance at it if he wasn't held and moved away from the arrival point of the ball, which to my understanding should make this a textbook PI call.
Although everything they say is BS, he had no chance to catch that, and it would have been intercepted with or without a the mugging he took.
Fact is the back judge threw the flag. They conference and then decide to pick up the flag. If that back judge holds his ground, that penalty sticks and the Patriots have another play. You could see that official looking for confirmation or eye contact from another and no one was giving it to him.
It should have been a pass interference. The explanation / justification does not make sense. I do agree that Gronk probably would not have caught that football nor avoided the INT, but he would've been close to either.
