Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher didn't have any doubt about whom to believe. In a war of words, Cowher was sticking with his players.
A controversial call by referee Phil Luckett cost the Steelers the ball to start the overtime period against Detroit, and the Lions scored on their first possession for a 19-16 victory Thursday.On the midfield coin flip, Jerome Bettis of Pittsburgh said he called tails. But referee Phil Luckett told pool reporters after the game Bettis called "heads-tails" and Luckett went with the first thing he heard.
"I have two guys, Jerome Bettis and Carnell Lake, that I would leave my family with," Cowher said. "I trust them. I got two guys who look me in the eye and tell me that they called what landed. Talk to Phil Luckett"
The referee had a different version. Here is what he told pool reporter Mike O'Hara of The Detroit News:
"What happened on the coin toss, I talked to No. 36 Pittsburgh (Bettis) to call it. `Call it in the air, please,' and tossed it. He called `heads-tails.' He first called `heads.' When it hit the ground it bounced to tails. And I said, `You called heads, so Detroit has won the toss.' "
"I did not say `heads-tails,' " Bettis said. "That is a lie. That's a bald-faced lie.
"I've never seen anything like this," Bettis continued. "This is the most bizarre situation I've been associated with, and I'm sure that I'll take this one to my grave as probably the craziest call that a referee would ever make."
Two calls earlier in the game went against Detroit, leading to the Steelers' first field goal. On one, an apparent fumble by Kordell Stewart was waved off. On the other, a Lion interception was disallowed.
On the Stewart fumble, Luckett said, "When in question, the runner is down when you're not sure. So we went with the philosophy that the runner was down, no fumble."
Luckett said none of the officials saw the interception, when Robert Bailey snagged the ball after it bounced off Courtney Hawkins' chest.