FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Jon Gruden still thinks it was a fumble.
It’s been nearly two decades since the Raiders coach walked out of a snow-covered Foxboro Stadium on the wrong end of a 16-13 overtime loss to New England during the 2001 playoffs.
The game turned late in the fourth quarter when Tom Brady was hit from behind and lost the ball. Initially ruled a fumble, it was reversed upon review and determined to be an incomplete pass under the obscure “tuck rule.”
The Patriots tied the game, won it on an Adam Vinatieri field goal and rode the momentum to the franchise’s first Super Bowl win.