New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is clearly not over the missed call during this month’s NFC Championship game that cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl – and he’s sending a not-so subtle message to the NFL. Speaking to reporters for the first time since losing to the Los Angeles Rams about a week and half ago, Payton seemed to accept defeat gracefully. “I don’t know that you ever completely get over it but you do get past it,” Payton told reporters at the Saints’ end-of-the-year press conference. But Twitter users seemed to be paying closer attention to what Payton was wearing, not what he was saying. NFL OPPOSES RAMS-SAINTS DO-OVER, SAYING IT COULD COST LEAGUE MORE THAN $100M: COURT FILING Rumors swirled that the NFL coach was taking a dig at Commissioner Roger Goodell by wearing a T-shirt of Goodell depicted as a clown underneath his quarter-zip. While a closer look reveals just a glimpse of his undershirt, people seemed sure of it. Payton, along with the entire Saints fan base, continues to grieve a crucial missed call during the NFC Championship game against the Rams that likely cost New Orleans the game. No penalty was called after Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman hit Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis while a Drew Brees pass was in the air with less than two minutes remaining. A flag for pass interference would have given the Saints a first down and a chance to run down the clock before kicking a potential game-winning field goal. At least one lawsuit filed against the league by two Saints ticketholders calls on Goodell to either reverse the game’s result or reschedule the game from the point of the no-call – or replay the game in its entirety. Payton also revealed to reporters how he coped with the loss. “Much like normal people, I sat, probably didn’t come out of my room. I ate Jeni’s ice cream and watched Netflix for three straight days,” he said. “There are certain vices you gravitate to, for me it’s probably sugar.” Netflix joined in on the lightheartedness, offering its services. CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP<doc-sep>Photo : AP NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was his usual charmless, evasive self at yesterday’s annual pre-Super Bowl press conference. He dodged all the hard questions and didn’t have anything interesting to say, but he did claim to have reached out to Saints head coach Sean Payton and a few Saints players in order to express his understanding of their frustration at being boned out of the Super Bowl. That was probably a lie, though. Advertisement Here’s what Goodell said: We understand the frustration of the fans. I’ve talked to Coach Payton, the team, the players. We understand the frustration that they feel right now and we certainly want to address that. And here’s what Saints receiver Michael Thomas had to say: Thomas apparently isn’t the only member of the Saints to have pushed back on Goodell’s claim. Former Saints lineman Zack Strief, who now does play-by-play on Saints radio broadcasts, says he reached out to Drew Brees and Ben Watson, both of whom told him that they had not spoken to Goodell. Very soon you will be instantly exhausted by any Saints fan mentioning the infamous blown call, but for now we can join with them in calling Roger Goodell the biggest weenie in sports.<doc-sep>ATLANTA — Roger Goodell coming out of his bunker for his Super Bowl LIII press conference and admitting the infamous non-call should have been called Saint nearly enough for the city of New Orleans. For 10 days, as images of Rams players at Super Bowl LIII flitted across their television screens, Goodell said nothing. And what he said Wednesday was too little, too late for a team and a city robbed of the opportunity to capture its second championship and still raging over what could have and should have been. And so the outrage and the frustration will not go away. There will be Super Bowl No Watch parties at bars and a parade through the French Quarter when the Rams try to beat the Patriots. “People just wanted to hear that he admitted, ‘We blew the call.’ And he was just not gonna use those words, whether to protect the legitimacy of the Super Bowl contenders and everything,” a lifelong New Orleans man named Peter Finney Jr. was saying over the phone. Finney was a Post colleague of mine from 1981-90. He returned home in 1993 to work at the Clarion Herald. His father, the late, great Times-Picayune columnist Peter Finney Sr., worked there for 68 years. “What I was hoping he would say was, ‘We blew it, we’re gonna move heaven and earth to make sure no other team ever has to deal with something like this again,’ ” Finney said. “And then, everything is on the table — instant replay, calls within the last two minutes, extra officials. Be specific, even though he doesn’t know what’s gonna happen. “What he did for 10 days in saying nothing was really insulting to the fan base in New Orleans.” Goodell should have said he was sorry. To New Orleans, to Saints fans, his performance was sorry. “Don’t speak like the head of a corporate machine,” Finney said. “Speak the truth to people who just want to know what’s going on. “It was like giving you the back of the hand.” Goodell mentioned that Al Riveron, the league’s vice president of officiating, had spoken to Saints coach Sean Payton about the non-call on Nickell Robey-Coleman. “That’s not Roger talking to the people,” Finney said. “He owed people that.” Finney, who was at the NFC Championship, will not be watching the Super Bowl for the first time in a long while. “He could have said this exact same thing on Monday [immediately after the championship game] not knowing the specifics of what they’re gonna do,” Finney said. “ ‘Hey, we’re gonna do a total investigation. We’re gonna do something. No team should have to face this again.’ ” Goodell was programmed when he should have displayed passion. “I just thought it was a weak response,” Finney said. Saying referees are human was not what the Who Dat doctors ordered. Or deserved. “We feel your pain, we understand how you’re feeling,” Finney paraphrased. “No. Not really, no.” Goodell promises to have the competition committee discuss any possible improvements. But who knows if there will be any? And if there are, it can’t help the Saints or the city of New Orleans. “He just kind of danced around it as if it’s just another call,” Finney said. “And it was not just another call.” New Orleans has had a love-hate relationship with Goodell. “Most people in New Orleans don’t give Goodell credit for what he did after Katrina,” Finney said. “He and [previous commissioner] Paul Tagliabue, they did move heaven and earth to bring the Saints back from San Antonio, to get the Superdome fixed in nine months, a gargantuan task. … Had they not done that, who knows what would have happened to the Saints?” But then came Bountygate, when Payton was suspended for a year and then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely. “People didn’t deny that there were bounties that were put out by the Saints,” Finney said. “The feeling was that virtually every team in the NFL did something similar. They felt like to suspend a coach for a full year was an excessive fine. They’ve been mad at him since then.” And now many of them won’t watch his Super Bowl. “A lot of people on radio are saying, ‘I’m not watching the Super Bowl. It’s an illegitimate Super Bowl,’ ” Finney said. Finney plans on marching in the French Quarter parade. His son Peter III is the pastor at St. Rita’s Church. “They have houses in the area that are kind of run down, a bunch of parishioners said they’re going on weekends to go fix things up. They’re planning to do that on Super Bowl Sunday,” Finney said. Finney used to be a sportswriter, and a damn good one. He tried ever so hard to be his objective self here. “And what makes it tough is everybody knows [Drew] Brees [just turned] 40. He may not ever have another chance,” Finney said. No guarantees for anyone else either. No Mardi Gras this week in New Orleans. No Super Sunday.<doc-sep>New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas hasn’t been the biggest fan of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell lately. Following the no-call in the NFC championship game, Thomas has led the charge against Goodell and the NFL, calling out the commissioner frequently on Twitter. [Ditch the pen and paper on football’s biggest day. Go digital with Squares Pick’em!] Thomas’ scrutiny of Goodell only got worse Wednesday after Thomas disputed something Goodell said during his Super Bowl LIII news conference. While speaking about the no-call, Goodell told reporters he talked to Saints coach Sean Payton and the players about the situation. Thomas says that’s not true. He ain’t talk to us — Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) January 30, 2019 That should only further enrage Saints fans who are upset about what they view as a lacking response from the league. Those Saints fans have been vocal about their opinion the past few weeks. Some local bars and restaurants in New Orleans aren’t even planning to air Super Bowl LIII after the Saints lost in the NFC championship game. Saints owner Gayle Benson has vowed to push for rule changes as a result of the play. At this point, it’s far too late for the NFL to make any drastic changes. Thomas and Saints fans will have to deal with their team missing out on Super Bowl LIII. While that will come as a disappointment for most Saints fans, at least they’ll have Thomas’ Twitter account to keep them company during the game. He should have some entertaining things to say. Michael Thomas has been calling out Roger Goodell since the end of the NFC championship game. (AP Photo/Bill Feig) – – – – – – – Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! More from Yahoo Sports: • Browns embarrassing 2011 draft attempt revealed • Kaepernick’s lawyer goes hard on NFL owners, Trump • Rams star gives janitor a once-in-a-lifetime gift • Wetzel: Brady wins even if he’s the biggest loser Story continues Subscribe to The Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast Apple Podcasts• Stitcher • Google Podcasts • NFL cancels Maroon 5’s Super Bowl news conference • Pats’ Brady labeled ‘known cheater’ on broadcast • Ex-NFL star says he drank Hennessy before NFL games • Martin: Rams RB never strayed far from West Coast roots<doc-sep>
The New Orleans Saints versus the NFL commissioner may have waded into more personal waters. That is, if you believe a T-shirt conspiracy that seems to have convincing evidence. In what would unquestionably be a direct shot at Roger Goodell in the fallout of the non-call that may have cost New Orleans a Super Bowl berth, Saints head coach Sean Payton appeared to deliver his season-ending news conference on Wednesday wearing a concealed Barstool Sports T-shirt featuring the commissioner with a clown nose. At least, that’s what a growing segment of internet sleuths believes, many of whom spotted the shirt under a partially zipped pullover that Payton wore during the presser. Saints head coach Sean Payton has been clear about what a raw deal his team got in the NFC title game. (AP) Payton’s zipper was pulled down just enough to reveal the top portion of an image on his T-shirt, which bore a striking resemblance to Barstool’s infamous Goodell “clown” image. The same shirt that was previously donned by former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in 2015 following a four-game suspension of Tom Brady for his role in deflate-gate. Did Sean Payton really wear a Roger Goodell clown shirt at his season-ending press conference today? Welp. ⤵️ 🤔 pic.twitter.com/nvjB1A8dgi — NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 30, 2019 While it’s unclear if Payton was wearing the same T-shirt, multiple graphics showing overlays of the image appear to show the crest of Goodell’s hair from the Barstool shirt. And the underlying message would seem to fit the moment, as Payton once again lamented the failure of officials to call an interference penalty against Los Angeles Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman in the NFC championship game. That no-call, which the NFL admitted was an officiating error, would have delivered the Saints a key first down late in the fourth quarter, allowing the possibility of either scoring a decisive touchdown or kicking a field goal as time expired. Instead, the Saints were denied the call, settling for a field goal that would be matched less than two minutes later by the Rams, sending the game into overtime and an eventual 26-23 loss for New Orleans. Goodell acknowledged the Saints’ gripes during a news conference at the Super Bowl on Wednesday, but stopped short of announcing a league-wide overhaul of officiating and instant replay rules. More from Yahoo Sports: • NFL cancels Maroon 5’s Super Bowl news conference • Pats’ Brady labeled ‘known cheater’ on broadcast • Ex-NFL star says he drank Hennessy before NFL games • Martin: Rams RB never strayed far from West Coast roots