The ref at the center of the Lions' controversial 20-19 loss to the Cowboys on Saturday night is doubling down on his decision to wipe out a go-ahead score by the Lions that likely would have won the game.
Referee Brad Allen claimed that Lions left tackle Taylor Decker never reported as an eligible receiver and was therefore guilty of illegal touching when he caught a go-ahead two-point conversion pass with 23 seconds to play -- even though replays showed Decker clearly reporting to Allen before the snap. Allen claimed that it was extra offensive lineman Dan Skipper who reported as eligible -- even though Skipper said he never said a word to Allen when he came on the field.
Questioned on his call after the game, Allen told an NFL pool reporter, "The issue is, No. 70 (Skipper) did report, No. 68 (Decker) did not."
Asked specifically about being approached and engaged by Decker prior to the snap, while Skipper was approaching him from another direction, Allen said, "That conversation is where No. 70 reports to me, and then I go to the defensive team and say to them, No. 70 has reported as an eligible receiver,' so they will be aware of who has reported and then I return to my position."
But Skipper insisted that he never said anything to Allen, and Decker made it clear that he did report as eligible. So either Allen mistook Skipper for Decker and decided Decker never reported, or mistook Decker's voice for Skipper's and decided that Skipper did report, or some combination of the two.
By the sounds of it, Decker, Skipper and the Lions got it right, and Allen got it wrong.
