Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman appears to be changing his stance on what happened during a controversial play involving Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis in the NFC championship game.
Robey-Coleman was trying to stop Lewis from scoring a touchdown with the score tied at 20 and the ball in the red zone. Lewis was knocked down by Robey-Coleman and failed to catch the pass. Robey-Coleman appeared to make contact with Lewis before the ball arrived, but the referees did not call a penalty. The NFL later fined Robey-Coleman $26,739 for the hit.
Robey-Coleman now claims "someone on the field said the ball was tipped," according to The Athletic. A tipped pass would make pass interference inapplicable, ProFootballTalk notes.
Just an FYI: I spoke to #Rams Nickell Robey-Coleman about this and he is adamant someone on the field said the ball was tipped. At the very least there is some compelling video showing that might have been the case. https://t.co/lJ8o0KRMRM
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) January 26, 2019
There is some video evidence that could prove Robey-Coleman's case depending on the angle:
@slotgod23 👀👀https://t.co/bxiTKQy9yR
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) January 26, 2019
The Saints ended up kicking a field goal and the Rams answered with one of their own to force overtime. Los Angeles went on to win 26-23 in overtime, though the play created a strong reaction from the NFL community. Saints coach Sean Payton said he spoke with someone in the league office who told him "they blew the call."
The Rams will face the Patriots in Super Bowl 53 on Feb. 3 with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. ET.