Brian Stropolo was scheduled to work Sunday’s game between New Orleans and Carolina as a replacement official, but the NFL pulled him from the game on Sunday morning after it was discovered that he is a Saints fan. The alternate official who travels with the crew will work the game in his place.
Stropolo is from Louisiana and is open about being a Saints fan on his Facebook page, which features several photos of him in Saints attire. The NFL was not made aware of his allegiance to the Who Dat nation until ESPN brought it to their attention Sunday morning.
Stropolo posted pictures of himself tailgating in Saints gear at an Aug. 25 preseason game on his page, where he is listed as an NFL side judge. According to ESPN.com, his status updates have been littered with comments from Saints fans such as “Hey, be nice with those yellow flags for our Saints!”
Between this incident, the game-changing calls and the countless complaints, the NFL may have to bring back it’s regular officiating crew sooner than expected.
