Roger Goodell has done his Saints groveling in private
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is quietly groveling behind the scenes in an all-out attempt to quell anger unleashed at the league after a missed pass interference call likely altered the outcome of the NFC Championship between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angles Rams on Jan. 20, according to a report.
Goodell has since spoken to both Saints owner Gayle Benson and head coach Sean Payton, admitting that officials had blown the call, ESPN.com reported.
Payton also has spoken to other NFL officials involved with officiating, the report said, including NFL head of officials Alberto Riveron, executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent and competition committee chairman Rich McKay.
The missed call happened when Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman hit Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis before a pass from Drew Brees arrived. The play was met with silence from nearby officials with less than two minutes left in a tied game.
If the pass were caught, New Orleans would’ve had a first down — which potentially would have allowed it to run down the clock before a game-winning field goal. Instead, the Saints were forced to kick with time left on the clock.
The NFL has since fined Robey-Coleman $26,739 for a helmet-to-helmet hit, the report said. Robey-Coleman not-so-subtly admitted he expected to see a flag after the play.
“Oh, hell yeah,” he told reporters. “That was [pass interference].”
Benson was furious after the Saints’ 26-23 loss and said in a statement that she will “aggressively pursue changes in NFL policies to ensure no team and fan base is ever put in a similar position again.”
Payton has said league officials also talked to him right after the game to say it was a missed call.
“I don’t know if there was ever more obvious pass interference,” Payton told reporters at the time.
This offseason, the NFL will reportedly discuss the possibility of making pass interference penalties reviewable.
Since the non-call, players and fans have unleashed anger of their own. Saints tight end Benjamin Watson, who will retire this offseason after 14 seasons in the NFL, called on Goodell to “lead by example” in a tweet on Friday.
