Ref Bennett Salvatore Admits Gaffe on Inadvertent Whistle

Salvatore acknowledged that he blew it (pun intended) in Atlanta last night, by failing to call a foul when he should have. From the AP: “With 2 1/2 minutes remaining and the Hawks leading 90-84, Bulls star Derrick Rose went up for a shot beyond the 3-point stripe and appeared to be fouled by Jamal Crawford. Salvatore blew his whistle, but ruled he had done it inadvertently. That led to a jump ball, which Atlanta’s Josh Smith tapped away from Joakim Noah. The Hawks scored on that possession to essentially finish off the Bulls. ‘An inadvertent whistle is when a referee blows a whistle and didn’t mean to,’ Salvatore said. ‘That’s exactly what happened. I blew my whistle and didn’t mean to. I didn’t think it was a foul.’ Bennett changed his opinion after watching a replay. ‘It was a foul and I should have called it,’ he said. ‘I made a mistake.'”