Pete Morelli Peter " Pete " Morelli ( born c . 1952 ) is the principal of Saint Mary ' s High School in Stockton , California and better known as an American football official in the National Football League ( NFL ) since the 1997 NFL season . As an official in the NFL , Morelli is known for working Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 as a field judge and later as a referee for two controversial games - the 2005 - 06 NFL playoffs between the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers , and a 2007 regular season game between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns . Beginning his ninth year as referee for the 2011 NFL season , Morelli ' s officiating crew consists of umpire Ruben Fowler , head linesman Mark Baltz , line judge John Hussey , field judge Jon Lucivansky , side judge Don Carlsen and back judge Rob Vernatchi . Personal . Pete Morelli is married to Cindy and has two sons , Matt and Dan . Morelli currently lives in Stockton , California . Officiating career . Early years . In 1971 , aged 19 , Morelli began officiating with his father and two uncles , Joe and Tony Morelli . He started with the California Interscholastic Federation , working high school football games . For his performance , he was assigned playoff and championship games . He later progressed to the college level , officiating in the Big West Conference and Western Athletic Conference . He was selected to work eleven playoff games , including the 1996 Liberty Bowl . NFL career . Morelli was hired by the NFL in 1997 as a back judge , then switched to field judge after the league swapped position titles in 1998 , and was promoted to referee with the start of the 2003 NFL season following the retirements of Dick Hantak and Bob McElwee . He wears uniform number 135 . Troy Polamalu interception . Morelli was involved in a controversial call during an AFC divisional playoff game on January 15 , 2006 between the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis . In the fourth quarter , Steelers safety Troy Polamalu appeared to intercept a Peyton Manning pass with 5 : 26 left in regulation . Polamalu made a diving catch and tumbled to the ground with the ball in his hands and got up to run . As he did , he fumbled the ball , then recovered . Colts head coach Tony Dungy challenged the call , and upon review on instant replay , Morelli overturned the ruling on the field of a completed catch and interception . After the reversal of the interception , Indianapolis drove down the field and scored a touchdown and a two - point conversion to reduce the eleven point deficit down to three , making the final score 21 - 18 . This would end up being the final score of the game . Following the game , Morelli explained his ruling , saying , " I had the defender catching the ball . Before he got up , he hit it with his leg with his other leg still on the ground . He never had possession with his leg up off the ground , doing an act common to the game of football . He was losing it while his other leg was still on the ground . Therefore , he did not complete the catch . And then he lost the ball . It came out , and so we made the play an incomplete pass . " Steelers linebacker Joey Porter claimed that the referees were conspiring against his team , hoping to give the Colts the victory . In an interview with " The New York Times " , Porter said , " I felt they were cheating us . When the interception happened , everybody in the world knew that was an interception . Don ' t cheat us that bad . When they did that , they really want Peyton Manning and these guys to win the Super Bowl . They are just going to straight take it for them . I felt that they were like ' We don ' t even care if you know we ' re cheating . We ' re cheating for them . ' " A day after the game , the NFL released a statement confirming that Polamalu " made " the interception , refuting the overturn call of Morelli . Mike Pereira , the league ' s vice president of officiating , said , " [ Polamalu ] maintained possession long enough to establish a catch . Therefore , the replay review should have upheld the call on the field that it was a catch and fumble . " The NFL also opted not to fine Porter for his remarks towards the officials . No further explanation was given by the league on their decision not to punish Porter . Phil Dawson field goal . On November 18 , 2007 at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore , Morelli was the referee of a game between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens . Towards the end of regulation , Browns placekicker Phil Dawson attempted a 51 - yard field goal to tie the game and force an overtime period . As Dawson kicked the ball , it ricocheted off the left upright , broke the vertical plane of the crossbar , and bounced off the stanchion , which holds the crossbar and supports the goalposts . Upon contacting the stanchion , the ball bounced back over the crossbar and onto the field . Initially , field judge Jim Saracino looked at back judge Keith Ferguson , then signaled the kick was no good as time expired . As the Ravens headed for the locker room believing the game was over , officials began to discuss the call . After a five minute discussion among the officials , referee Pete Morelli announced over the public address system that he would " take a look at this play " . However , by rule , field goals are not reviewable on instant replay . Upon arriving at the instant review booth , Morelli was informed by replay assistant Howard Slavin through headphones that field goals are not reviewable . While there is some controversy on whether Morelli used video review , Mike Pereira said , " [ Morelli ] was talking to Howard Slavin , and he was told it was not a reviewable play . He wanted to make sure . " WMAR - TV in Baltimore filmed Morelli and Jim Saracino at the replay booth , but not " under the hood " reviewing video . Morelli proceeded to further discuss the kick with his crew . In the discussion that ensued , Keith Ferguson " felt more strongly " that the ball had crossed through the goal posts . Based on Ferguson ' s opinion of the kick , Morelli declared that the field goal was good . Following the game , Morelli described the sequence of events to a pool reporter . " It was a ruling by one of the officials , not by me , " Morelli said . " One of the officials signaled incomplete , no good . The other official informed me the ball hit the back of the extension of the goal post , which is the backside of it , which is an object beyond the goal post . And , in discussion with the three of us , we had to figure what the ruling was . Whether the ball hit the bar beyond the extension or not . " The correct call was made according to NFL rules as Rule No . 11 , Section 5 - c , states that the entire ball must pass through the goal in case wind or other forces cause it to return through the goal . It must have struck the ground or some object . NFL spokesman Greg Aiello stated that the league ' s Competition Committee would review siutations where a field goal try strikes an object as reviewable by instant replay during the offseason following the 2007 season . League executives have stated that there are not enough cameras to provide irrefutable video evidence for all field goal tries . 2009 NFC Championship Game . Morelli was the referee of the NFC Championship Game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans on January 24 , 2010 . One questionable call was the Saints ' Bobby McCray ' s low blindside hit on Vikings quarterback Brett Favre ; it appeared to have violated the " Tom Brady Rule " in which defenders can ' t hit quarterbacks below the knees , but no penalty was called ( which would have negated a New Orleans interception ) . Mike Pereira , the NFL ' s Supervisor of Officials , would later discuss the play on his weekly " Official Review " segment on NFL Network ' s " NFL Total Access " , and admit that it was in fact a missed call and a penalty flag should have been thrown .