Saints owner blasts NFL over controversial non-call

The New Orleans Saints were pretty much robbed of their second ever Super Bowl appearance Sunday.

By now the controversial non-call on Los Angeles Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman late in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game is well known.

Officials inside the Superdome missed a blatant pass interference on Robey-Coleman with the Saints driving in a tie game. If the call had been made, New Orleans would’ve been able to run the clock down and kick a game-winning chip-shot field goal.

As it was, the Saints left enough time on the clock for Los Angeles to tie the game and eventually win in overtime.

One day after the horrible loss, Saints owner Gayle Benson released a statement blasting the NFL.

“Yesterday’s result is still difficult to accept for all of us. I am thoroughly disappointed by the events that led to the outcome of yesterday’s game,” Benson said, via the team’s official website. “Getting to the Super Bowl is incredibly difficult to do and takes such an unbelievable commitment from a team and support from its fans. No team should ever be denied the opportunity to reach the title game (or simply win a game) based on the actions, or inactions, of those charged with creating a fair and equitable playing field.”

To say that the call was controversial would be an understatement. In fact, we could very well be looking at a class-action lawsuit against the league. While that’s the betting equivalent of ambulance chasing, it does tell us a story of NFL refs screwing the proverbial pooch.

“As is clear to all who watched the game, it is undeniable that our team and fans were unfairly deprived of that opportunity yesterday,” Benson continued. “I have been in touch with the NFL regarding yesterday’s events and will aggressively pursue changes in NFL policies to ensure no team and fan base is ever put in a similar position again. It is a disservice to our coaches, players, employees and, most importantly, the fans who make our game possible.“

It’s rather obvious that this drama is not gong to die down any time soon.

For a lot of fans, the Rams’ trip to next month’s Super Bowl has been tarnished by this non-call — leading to a renewed effort to expand the NFL’s instant replay system. Benson’s comments make it clear that she fully supports said expansion to include bad calls.