It only proves that while the officials are congregating, with or without headsets, the actual rules are never studied.Here's the rule on the bat. So basically, the question is if it was forward, which didn't seem to be scrutinized enough.
Batting a Loose Ball ARTICLE 1. a. While a pass is in flight, only a player who is eligible to touch the ball may bat it in any direction (Exception: Rule 9-4-2). b. Any player may block a scrimmage kick in the field of play or the end zone. c. No player shall bat other loose balls forward in the field of play or in any direction if the ball is in the end zone