There has been wide debate over the last play of the Super Bowl, in which it appeared Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith was holding 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree. There was no penalty called on the play, and many are left wondering what might have been if there was.
49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was adamant that there was holding on the play, and he recently elaborated on how he felt to 97.5 The Game in San Francisco.
“A penalty is a penalty no matter when it occurs in a game,” Harbaugh said, via SportsRadioInterviews.com.
“It could occur in the first play of the game. It could occur on the last play of the game, or any play in between. That’s the rules of football. You let ‘em play or let ‘em get away with something. Which would you rather have? Let’s play the rules of the game. . . . If there’s a penalty then it’s a penalty — doesn’t matter what kind of game. . . . It’s the rules of football. If it’s a penalty, you call it. If you see it, you call it. That’s how I feel about it.”
With a Super Bowl title on the line, one can understand why Harbaugh is still complaining about the lack of a penalty on that particular play.
But to be completely fair, the refs had let the teams play the whole game. At least they were consistent.