Referee explains controversial safety

ST. LOUIS -- Quarterback Colin Kaepernick's intentional grounding penalty in the third quarter resulted in the St. Louis Rams' first two points of the game in the 49ers' eventual 16-13 overtime loss on Sunday.Kaepernick was called for intentional grounding as he retreated into the end zone on a play that originated from the 17-yard line. It's a legal throwaway if the quarterback is outside the tackle box and the throw is beyond the line of scrimmage even if it's thrown out of bounds.Maiocco's Instant Replay: Rams 16, 49ers 13
"He (referee Carl Cheffers) said it didn't make it to the line of scrimmage," Kaepernick said. "I think it did."Replays appeared to indicate that Kaepernick's throw passed the line of scrimmage.
"It was an intentional grounding," Cheffers told a pool reporter after the game. "The quarterback rolled out of the pocket and he needs one of two things: He either needs a receiver in the area or he needs to throw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage."The official on that side of the field came to me and reported that neither of those things took place. So we have intentional grounding. And because he threw the ball from the end zone, by rule, that penalty is enforced and the result of the enforcement is a safety, by rule."Is the play subject to a challenge and review?"No, it is not," Cheffers said. "It's all judgment. So none of that is subject to a review."No aspect of that is reviewable. The result of the play is not a scoring play, it's a penalty enforcement that results in a score. There's just no aspect of that play that, by rule, is challengeable."