The football world was in a state of chaos. The Steelers had just stolen Super Bowl XL from the Seahawks with the help of some shockingly one-sided officiating.
Fans and sportswriters alike howled about phantom flags and imaginary touchdowns. Seahawks fans were livid. Steelers fans went on the defensive. Many neutral observers were left feeling a little queasy. Or suspicious.
And where was Mike Pereira, the NFL's supervisor of officiating, the one man with the knowledge and authority to assure the world that Super Bowl XL wasn't a modern reboot of the 1919 World Series?