re: Sean Payton Reacts To The Game

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Here’s what smells the most about this whole thing. Bill Vinovich was the referee for this game.

It was not his responsibility to throw a flag for pass interference, as he’s in the backfield. He’s looking for roughing the passer or holding or hands to the face along the line. So the fact that a flag didn’t come out for pass interference is not his fault. (The responsibility would lie with the field judge or, in some cases, the back judge or the line judge.)

However … what is his fault is that he lied after the game.
Vinovich had to face the music and speak to a pool reporter after the game.

His answers were completely gutless, displaying the type of pass-the-buck mentality that comes from the top.
“It’s a judgment call by the officials,” Vinovich said. “I personally have not seen the play.”

The reporter asked a follow-up question: “You said you didn’t see the play, correct?”
Vinovich replied: “Correct.”

That’s all well and good, but the thing with the NFL is that there are cameras everywhere.

Vinovich, as a referee who sees multiple camera angles on every replay, has to know that. So he had to have known that footage would emerge of him staring directly at the play.

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Vinovich’s answer was a complete and total cop-out. And it was also proven with video evidence to be a lie.

That’s why the world can’t simply sit back and say “Well it was a bad call but the Saints still could have won the game.”

That lets far too many people off the hook, people who deserve to be held accountable for what took place.

That includes the officials on the field, it includes Vinovich for not telling the truth, and it includes commissioner Roger Goodell, who’s been startlingly silent throughout this entire ordeal.

This is a league that lacks leadership, and this instance is just the latest example.

Shifting the blame to the Saints just lets too many people off the hook.

For every organization not based in New England, Super Bowls are rare moments.

The Saints, in their 52-year history, have had the honor of playing in the Super Bowl just once.

This was their chance to play in the NFL’s biggest game for just the second time ever.

It was taken away from them. The players, coaches, and fans have every right to make as big a deal out of this one as they want, and for however they long they want.

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