Sean Payton did not hide the fact that he was disgusted with the officiating in his team’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons Thursday night, but did the New Orleans Saints coach go too far in expressing his frustration?
Payton was furious with a number of calls throughout the game. The icing on the cake came late in the fourth quarter with the Saints trailing 20-17, when Payton called a timeout with 1:05 left. It was his team’s final timeout, but New Orleans would have had a chance to get the ball back if they stopped the Falcons on third down. Because of Payton’s temper, that never happened.
Apparently frustrated at how long it took the officials to grant him the timeout, Payton angrily stormed onto the field. He was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving the Falcons a first down that sealed the win.
“Sean Payton just CAN’T lose his cool. He HAS to be smarter than that. You just can’t make such a mental error in that a situation”.
Things announcers love to say about Black players but not Sean Payton. pic.twitter.com/NMByxJZX4K
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) December 8, 2017
Payton later admitted that he has to be “smarter than that,” but he also made it clear that he was unhappy with the way the game was officiated.
“I thought we fought a lot of things outside of just the football game,” Payton said, via Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk. “Just one of those games. Listen, I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve never been a part of a game like that. Frustrating, but our guys, we’ll bounce back.”
With all that in mind, it isn’t unfair to wonder if Payton intentionally tried to trip crew chief Clete Blakeman while running off the field after the final whistle.
Classy Sean Payton. What a scumbag. P.S. Thanks for the W pic.twitter.com/MdeHhQSqe8
— Jared Paul (@jaredmpaul) December 8, 2017
Maybe their feet just got tangled. But if that’s what happened, wouldn’t Payton have apologized or at least made a gesture toward Blakeman? He kept his head forward and didn’t say a word.
On the same night where Payton was already accused of making a choking gesture at a Falcons player, anything is possible.
