New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has come out in support of Pete Carroll, who has been heavily criticised in the wake of Super Bowl XLIX.
The Seattle Seahawks head coach, whose side lost to Belichick's Patriots, told quarterback Russell Wilson to throw the ball instead of hand it to running back Marshawn Lynch when the team were just one metre away from the goalline in the dying minutes of the match.
Wilson's pass was intercepted, which denied the Seahawks victory, and Carroll has come in for heavy criticism from fans and NFL pundits.
However, Belichick told Sports Radio Weei: "There has been a lot of criticism that I don't think is anywhere close to being deserved or founded. That football team is very good, very well coached, and Pete does a great job.
"Malcolm [Butler] and Brandon [Browner], on that particular play, just made a great play. I think the criticism they've gotten for the game is totally out of line and by a lot of the people who I don't think are anywhere near even qualified to be commenting on it."
The decision was described as the "worst call in Super Bowl history" by ex-NFL cornerback Deion Sanders.
Charlie Bennett
