According to the NFL rulebook, a leverage foul is ‘a defensive player jumping or standing on a teammate or an opponent to block or attempt to block an opponent‘s kick’.
“I did talk to New York, and they did tell me Minkah’s block was legal, which I knew in the stadium, but that’s life,” Tomlin said. “None of us are perfect, man, there’s going tobe mistakes made in game. There are strategic mistakes made by guys like me, there are playing mistakes made by players, and there are officiating mistakes. The bottom line is, if you’re capable and you’re on your job for 60 minutes, mistakes by others often don’t define the outcome of games. But it is a shame because that was a significant play by Mink, and it did create a two-point scenario for them that kind of could have changed the texture of how that game was unfolding.”
The Steelers were irked about the play on the field. Special teams coordinator Danny Smith had to be held back by Tomlin after he charged after the referees who made the call. Pittsburgh would later get it back on a field goal in the second half, anyway.
Tomlin, a member of the NFL’s Competition Committee, said that the league is not running away from potentially adding replay assistance to fouls such as that one.
