Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress said Monday that the NFL has apologized for an overturned touchdown that cost his team four points in Sunday night's four-point loss at Green Bay.
Childress said Monday that he called the league about Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe's nullified score late in the second quarter of Sunday night's game. The replay review determined that Shiancoe didn't have proper possession of the ball as he landed after his diving catch, and Minnesota had to settle for a field goal three plays later.
But Childress said NFL vice president of officiating Carl Johnson acknowledged the mistake, revealing at his news conference that the official said he was "disappointed that the call was reversed."
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said league policy is not to comment on conversations between Johnson and the clubs. Aiello said Johnson "is obligated to give his factual opinion of any call that is questioned by a club." But the policy also "states that all such conversations are confidential and are not to be discussed publicly," Aiello said.
Childress spoke about his disappointment in the ruling earlier in the day.
"It's supposed to be irrefutable evidence," the coach said. "The guy is looking right down on it and says it is a touchdown. You have got to show them something that says it wasn't a touchdown.
"I saw him control the ball. It's not about forearms. It's not about hands. I was told it was about hands. If he has it in his teeth and it touches the ground and he has it when he comes up, it's a touchdown."
Childress also acknowledged that he should have challenged a Packers touchdown, when Andrew Quarless didn't appear to have possession of the ball as he hit the ground on his second-quarter catch.
"Obviously by the time you kick the try, it's too late when you get a chance to slow down and look at it again," Childress said. "We got one look, and I looked at it, but you can't look at it multiple times over and over again from different angles. Do I wish I would have (challenged it)? Yeah, I wish I would have."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
