Sean Payton finally has admitted that he did, in fact, make a choking gesture at Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman.
In the heated NFC South matchup between Atlanta and the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 7, Payton got involved in the bloodlust, and made a choking gesture that was caught on camera.
Theories began to run wild as to what he was doing, be it gesturing at Freeman or complaining about a holding call. And there was no closure after the game upon Payton claiming he didn’t remember doing it.
Here’s the gesture in question.
#Saints HC Sean Payton yelling, “choke” on the sideline 👀 pic.twitter.com/hRgCD6yavm
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) December 8, 2017
Well, time apparently helped his memory, and speaking with the Atlanta media ahead of the rematch Sunday, the Saints coach admitted to it, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Listen, the mistake I made that night was letting my emotions get the best of me,” Payton said, via the AJC. “It’s the same thing that we talk about with our players all of the time. It wasn’t good and I felt like as that game went on, it even affected me in calling plays. I’ve got to better that way. It was frustrating from some of the officiating.
“But you learn even when you’ve been in this thing as long as I have. It’s something that you regret and you look back on ‘what are you doing?’ So, I think that’s the thing that bugged me for the better part of the week.”
So if it actually was him gesturing at the Falcons running back, one can’t help but imagine that he made the said gesture as a callback to Atlanta’s collapse in Super Bowl LI.
And if that is the case, very well played by Payton.
