Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was named the Associated
Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, edging out Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews by two votes (17 to 15).
Polamalu had 7 interceptions and 63 tackles this season for the Steelers.
The NFL Network was set to announce the award during a 6pm broadcast, but when a reporter saw Matthews getting ready to do an interview with the Network, he reported on Twitter that Matthews had won.
The problem is, Matthews didn’t. The first reporter jumped to a conclusion and several credible media outlets then jumped in line spreading the news. The correct announcement came near the end of the 90-minute show on the NFL Network.
Matthews tallied 60 tackles and 13.5 sacks during the regular season. He’s since added 3.5 sacks in the playoffs, totalling 17 for the season.