New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis (11) works for a catch against Los Angeles Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman (23) during the second half the NFL football NFC championship game Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, in New Orleans. The Rams won 26-23. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Mad about the calls during the NFC Championship game Sunday between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints? You’re not the only one.
Fox 8 Live reports that New Orleans attorney Frank D’Amico Jr. has filed a lawsuit asking the courts to take action over the outcome of the NFC Championship game. Travers Mackel of WDSU also tweeted the news on Tuesday, taking note of D’Amico’s apparent nickname:
The Rams beat the Saints 26-23 in overtime. The outrage stems from an apparent pass interference by Rams defender Nickell Robey-Coleman who knocked Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis to the ground while the ball was still in the air. A nearby game official called an incomplete pass instead of a penalty, and fans and observers say the Saints would have won the game if the penalty was called. At the very least, the Saints would have been able to attempt a game winning field goal with little or no time left, thus never giving the Rams a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime.
According to WDSU News, D’Amico Jr. wants NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to enforce Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1 in the NFL Rulebook, which states: “The commissioner has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club actions, non-participant interference, or calamity occurs in an NFL game which the commissioner deems so extraordinarily unfair or outside the accepted tactics encountered in professional football that such action has a major effect on the result of the game.”
Fans believe that rule would give Goodell the power to possibly reverse the results of the game. The suit seeks damages for Saints ticket holders including loss of faith in the NFL, mental anguish, and distrust of the game.
WDSU also reports that two attorneys for Simon Law Offices in Lafayette sent a joint statement to Goodell, asking him to enforce Rule 17. "At present, a large asterisk sits next to the title NFC champions,” the statement reads. “Allowing the status quo to stand is a 'black eye' on the history and integrity of the game which you have been entrusted to preserve and protect."
Goodell has yet to respond to the suit, but Twitter has opinions.