By Luke Johnson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Here we were, 10 days removed from the no-call that upended a city, with two of the central characters in this drama speaking publicly for the first time.
Yesterday, Sean Payton, the New Orleans Saints coach, dressed to just barely conceal what appeared to be an open revolt while speaking about his coping mechanisms behind a lectern in Metairie, and Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, dressed smartly in a suit while speaking behind the NFL shield in Atlanta, finally touched on the thing that has been weighing on New Orleans. Neither elevated the conversation beyond where things stood before.
The wound opened in the Superdome on the night of Jan. 20 — when an NFL official inexplicably kept his penalty flag tucked away after Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman clocked Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis before the ball arrived, a penalty that would have all but punched New Orleans’ ticket to the Super Bowl — has festered in the silence. And even if the efforts are ultimately fruitless, a prideful city has shown the noise it is capable of producing in the quiet if given time. ...
Full Story - NOLA.com
Here we were, 10 days removed from the no-call that upended a city, with two of the central characters in this drama speaking publicly for the first time.
Yesterday, Sean Payton, the New Orleans Saints coach, dressed to just barely conceal what appeared to be an open revolt while speaking about his coping mechanisms behind a lectern in Metairie, and Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, dressed smartly in a suit while speaking behind the NFL shield in Atlanta, finally touched on the thing that has been weighing on New Orleans. Neither elevated the conversation beyond where things stood before.
The wound opened in the Superdome on the night of Jan. 20 — when an NFL official inexplicably kept his penalty flag tucked away after Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman clocked Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis before the ball arrived, a penalty that would have all but punched New Orleans’ ticket to the Super Bowl — has festered in the silence. And even if the efforts are ultimately fruitless, a prideful city has shown the noise it is capable of producing in the quiet if given time. ...
Full Story - NOLA.com
