http://www.footballzebras.com/2016/09/27/week-4-referee-assignments-2016/
Gene Steratore
Steratore worked his first NFL playoff game as a referee between the
Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers on January 10, 2009, at
Bank of America Stadium in
Charlotte, North Carolina. Exactly one year later, he refereed the
Baltimore Ravens' 33–14 victory over the
New England Patriots in an
American Football Conference (AFC) Wild Card match at
Gillette Stadium in
Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Steratore was involved in a controversial instant replay call during week 1 of the
2010 NFL season between the
Detroit Lions and the
Chicago Bears at
Soldier Field in
Chicago. Late in the fourth quarter, Lions receiver
Calvin Johnson caught what was originally ruled as the winning touchdown for Detroit. However, Steratore conferred with the officials and overturned the call to an incomplete pass, ruling that Johnson lost control of the ball while going to the ground before he "completed the process of completing the catch".
The play was reviewed, but was upheld. The rule applied in this situation states, "If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone." Despite speculation that the Calvin Johnson ruling was incorrect, Steratore was supported by the NFL and backed by its former vice president of officiating,
Mike Pereira, on Fox Sports. The rule has since been referred to as the "Calvin Johnson rule".
Steratore was selected as the first referee to officiate a game following the
2012 NFL referee lockout on September 27, 2012, a Thursday-night contest between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. The Baltimore crowd cheered Steratore and his crew as they entered the field.
Steratore was named as referee for the NFC Championship game on January 19, 2014, between the
Seattle Seahawks and
San Francisco 49ers.
Steratore was also the referee during the
Divisional Playoff game between the
Dallas Cowboys and the
Green Bay Packers on January 11, 2015, when a controversial fourth-quarter, fourth-down catch by Cowboys wide receiver
Dez Bryant was overturned using the "Calvin Johnson rule".
On the play, Cowboys quarterback
Tony Romo threw the ball towards Bryant, who was initially ruled to have caught the ball at the Green Bay 1-yard line. The Packers challenged the call and after review, it was determined that the ball touched the ground before Bryant completed the catch.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Steratore
