New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton knows first hand just how catastrophic a bad pass interference call in the midst of a game can be, and says that the NFL wasn’t ready for the replay review process they implemented to help correct the issue.
The NFL plans to end its one-year experiments of allowing pass interference calls to be reviewed by replay, and Payton isn’t surprised by that development saying “we weren’t prepared to enforce that and monitor that the correct way.”
Payton spoke about the NFL’s failed experiment during an appearance on Baltimore’s 105.7 The Fan on Thursday.
“I think the theory behind what the league voted on certainly had a chance to be successful. But quite honestly we weren’t ready in New York to handle it,” Payton said, according to ESPN’s Mike Triplett. “And I know that sounds critical, but that’s just a fact. The consistency and the ability to take in the calls and at least come up with a fairly level basis of what we’re gonna interpret that call on. And if we’re not ready there, then we shouldn’t have it.
“And I think that’s the feeling that all of us have right now, including myself.”
The NFL overturned only 13 of the 81 pass interference-related plays that coaches challenged during the 2019 regular season, with booth reviews resulting in reversals in 11 out of the 20 instances.
With news hitting the headlines that are reminding everyone of the infamous BountyGate scandal of a decade ago, Payton says that people who expect the NFL to move on punishing the Pittsburgh Steelers not to hold their breathe.
“If people are waiting for the league to investigate that, they shouldn’t hold their breath,” Payton said. “I think what took place with us back in 2011 in so many ways was a sham. And yet there wasn’t a lot we could do with it. You know, the players were vindicated. But from a league or coaching standpoint, there’s no union, no representation.”
“That’ll be something that’s tucked away or under the rug at Park Avenue,” Payton said. “They’ll look into it briefly. Listen, don’t get me started on that. I lost $6 million in salary. And honestly it was something that I’ll never truly get over because I know how it was handled and how it was run and the reasons behind it. And that’s just the truth.”
