Jimmy Graham's pass interference penalty heard around the NFC on Sunday looked like a clear call. The New Orleans Saints tight end extended his arms and pushed San Francisco 49ers cornerback Perrish Cox to the ground, even if it looked like Cox went to the ground a little dramatically.
Graham doesn't believe the call, which nullified a potential game-winning touchdown, was so clear.
"It was definitely not a push-off. I'm running down the field telling myself, 'Whatever you do, don't push off.' It's interesting how guys grab me everywhere on the field and I put literally two fingers on somebody and they make that kind of call," Graham said, via The Times-Picayune. "That's why I left basketball."
If Cox was acting, it is one of the greatest sell jobs of all time. In that moment, he would have had to already know he was beaten on the play, and be confident enough that he could flop for a penalty. It's far more likely that Graham's push, even if not dramatic, caused Cox to lose his balance while he was sprinting back towards the end zone.
Graham believes Cox played up the contact, but also admitted that he didn't expect a penalty in such a big situation.
"The general consensus is, you go down there, you can kick somebody in the chest and go up there and get it and you'll be fine," Graham said. "But apparently not."
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