Gene Steratore, the official in Monday's 20-13 Patriots win over the Bills, spoke with a pool reporter to explain the unorthodox play in which officials blew an inadvertant whistle that ended a Patriots completion in the second half. Here are his answers:
Q: Talking about the inadvertent whistle play – who blew the whistle and why was the whistle blown?
GS: I think as the quarterback started to get near the sideline and press the line judge, who was the official right near the quarterback, [Gary Arthur]. I think as Tom [Brady] released the football, the line judge lost track of maybe where the ball was at that point and almost by its own definition, inadvertently blew the whistle.