The New Orleans Saints were already unhappy with the fact that the referees for the NFC Championship blew a call that could have sent them to the Super Bowl. They’re not any more impressed with how the league has conducted itself since then, either.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees was the latest to critique commissioner Roger Goodell for his general silence and unwillingness to take a stand in the two weeks since referees failed to call obvious pass interference late in the NFC Championship.
“I think that we all recognize that being in that position, you are the face of the league. And you have the responsibility to come out and address issues when they come about,” Brees told “The Dan Patrick Show” on Friday, via Mike Triplett of ESPN. “And I would say that on Monday or Tuesday after that game we all deserved a response of some kind.
“I mean, do I really want to be in a position talking about this over and over again? No. But I have to stand up and do it because I have to represent my team, represent the Who Dat nation, and that’s my responsibility. So it’s the commissioner’s responsibility to do the same thing, and yet we don’t hear a peep for 10 days. And it’s because he has to do it now because he’s at the Super Bowl and he does his annual press conference.”
The silence has upset more than one Saints player, with the NFL rather eager to focus on the Super Bowl instead of one of the worst blown calls in recent memory. Brees, one of the league’s most prominent stars, putting his name to this criticism two days before the big game probably won’t make the league very happy, but they’ve brought it upon themselves.
