It looks like time hasn’t yet healed Sean Payton’s wounds.
The New Orleans Saints head coach wishes his team was spending the week preparing for Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots. Instead, Payton and the Saints are left lamenting what could have been after a highly controversial non-call in last week’s NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman got away with an egregious pass interference (and was even fined for a helmet-to-helmet hit), and the Saints ultimately settled for a field goal instead of a touchdown. They lost the game in overtime, and the rest as they say, is history.
The entire sports world knows the Saints were screwed, yet the NFL has done little if anything to admit to its mistake. That seems to still be irking Payton, who went with a very interesting wardrobe choice for some press availability Wednesday. While Payton wore a quarter-zip pullover, it was the shirt underneath that had Twitter buzzing.
It’s hard to say for certain, but it certainly looks like Payton was wearing a T-shirt popularized by Barstool Sports depicting NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as a clown.
You be the judge.
Internet sleuths rushed to investigate, and it’s hard to find many who don’t believe Payton’s wearing the clown shirt with Barstool claiming victory. If it is indeed the clown shirt, that’s a savage move from one the NFL’s longest-tenured coaches. You also have to respect the subtle way of getting that out there without blatantly crossing any lines, real or imagined.
If Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia was watching, it’s possible he did so while nodding in approval. After the Patriots’ Super Bowl LI win over the Atlanta Falcons, the then-defensive coordinator wore the Goodell shirt off the plane when the victorious Patriots returned to New England. That statement came in the wake of Deflategate and the league’s handling of Tom Brady’s suspension.
As for Goodell and the NFL, the commissioner will address the media for his annual Super Bowl press conference on Wednesday in Atlanta.
