Jim Caldwell says ref admitted to missed offensive PI call on Hawks TD
— -- NFL referee Brad Allen and his crew erred on a crucial call in the first half of Saturday night's wild-card playoff game between the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks, resulting in a fourth-down touchdown catch for Seahawks receiver Paul Richardson.
On the play -- which occurred with 7:07 remaining in the second quarter -- Richardson caught a two-yard pass from quarterback Russell Wilson. Replays showed that Richardson caught the ball with his left hand. With his right hand, he clearly grabbed and twisted the helmet of Lions defensive back Tavon Wilson.
The play should have been ruled offensive pass interference. That would have negated the score and pushed the Seahawks back 15 yards to the 17-yard line. Fourth down would have been re-played.
In an off-camera halftime interview with NBC, Lions coach Jim Caldwell said he was told by an official that "they got it wrong."
The NFL abandons regular-season crews for the playoffs and instead assigns officials based on regular-season grades. Saturday night's game is the first postseason game of Allen's career.
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