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This non-call against the New Orleans Saints was so bad, the governor got involved
January 22, 2019
'...the state of Louisiana deserved better'
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) must have been as outraged as thousands of New Orleans Saints fans were after a missed pass interference call potentially cost the team a trip to the Super Bowl.
On Tuesday, Edwards wrote a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell complaining about the play and the eventual outcome of the game against the Los Angeles Rams.
"On behalf of the people of Louisiana and New Orleans Saints fans all across the country, I am writing to you to express our deep disappointment with the outcome of the NFC Championship game on Sunday," Edwards wrote.
The play
For reference, here's the play during which pass interference should've been called, but wasn't. If the penalty had been called, the Saints would've been in good position to run the clock out and kick a game-winning field goal. Instead, they lost in overtime.
Yeah. That was pass interference. pic.twitter.com/niV9z2rnJi
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) January 20, 2019
Indeed, even the Rams player who committed the penalty admitted that he had given up on the play and was attempting to commit pass interference to prevent a touchdown.
"Ah, hell yeah, that was PI," Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman said after the game.
What Edwards wants
Edwards implied that he believed the non-call was so egregious that Goodell should consider changing the result of the game, although he acknowledges how unlikely that is.
"This team deserved better," Edwards wrote. "Saints fans deserved better. The city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana deserved better.
"While it certainly would be within your powers to determine that the missed call was so out of bounds that it affected the fundamental fairness of the game (and, without doubt, it was), I do recognize that you are unlikely to change the result of the game," Edwards continued.
The governor went on to call for rule changes to ensure that this situation never happens again.
"If the NFL fails to act, the very integrity of the game will be called into question — something that no football fan wants to see," Edwards wrote.
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