NFL says Patriots not to blame for headset mishap

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Don’t blame the New England Patriots for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ headset issues during Thursday night’s opener, the NFL says.

League spokesman Michael Signora said in a statement after the game it was a “stadium power infrastructure issue, which was exacerbated by the inclement weather” that caused the interference that left Steelers coach Mike Tomlin seething after the Patriots’ 28-21 win.

“The coaches’ communications equipment, including the headsets, is provided by the NFL for both clubs use on game day,” Signora’s statement said. “Once the power issue was addressed, the equipment functioned properly with no additional issues.”

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Heavy rain hit the area early Thursday afternoon and continued until a short time before kickoff, then picked up again during the game. The Steelers began having trouble with their headsets in the first quarter.

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“We were listening to the Patriots radio broadcast for the majority of the first half, on our headsets,” an animated Tomlin told reporters after the game.

Tomlin said it’s “always the case” here at Gillette Stadium, though he stopped short of suggesting the Patriots had anything to do with it. He added it only impacted coach-to-coach communication.

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Steelers players largely downplayed the issue. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said a couple plays didn’t come into his helmet, “but that happens.” Linebacker Lawrence Timmons said any issues on defense were a product of noise in the stadium and the fact it was the first game.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick said his sideline also had communication issues throughout the game and the issue comes up “it seems like weekly.” He said the league was on the verge of shutting off the headsets used by coaches, but then got things fixed.

Asked if he got an explanation, Belichick said, “We never get that answer. They just try to fix it, and they tell you it’s up or down or whatever. I don’t know. That’s not really a very strong area for me, is technology.”

The problems even extended to quarterback Tom Brady’s helmet, which had to be switched out near the end of the game because coaches couldn’t relay plays, Belichick said.

Patriots radio analyst Scott Zolak said his cellphone blew up with text messages once NBC reported the problem.

“It’s a shame,” Zolak said. “To think of what we can do in this world with technology, and we can’t even get the wireless right? But I was completely complimentary of the Steelers and Big Ben.”

Contributing: Jarrett Bell and The Associated Press