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Roger Goodell responds to Gov. Edwards' letter concerning controversial missed-call

5 years 1 month 2 weeks ago Monday, February 11 2019 Feb 11, 2019 February 11, 2019 2:15 PM February 11, 2019 in News
Source: WBRZ

UPDATE: On Monday, Roger Goodell responded to the letter Gov. Edwards wrote to the NFL commissioner last month expressing his disappointment in the controversial missed-call during the NFC Championship Game.

Goodell wrote:

"I fully understand your personal disappointment, and the disappointment and frustration of Saints fans throughout the country ... As you know, immediately following the game, our head of officiating told Coach Payton that a penalty should have been called on the play in question. I have expressed the same view to both Mrs. Benson and Coach Payton, as well as during my press conference on Jan. 30."

Goodell goes on to say that NFL rules do not allow the commissioner to overturn game results from officiating errors.

To read Goodell's full response letter, click here.

BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's very own governor broke silence Tuesday concerning the controversial missed-call that potentially cost the New Orleans Saints a trip to the Super Bowl.

Gov. John Bel Edwards sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, expressing the disappointment felt by fans across the nation after the heartbreaking NFC Championship Game.

"The very least that any fan of the Saints, or any other team, should be able to expect from any game is that the result will be decided by the players on the field," Gov. Edwards wrote. "By missing the obvious, blatant, and intentional penalty at the end of the game, the referees in Sunday's game undermined that expectation and unfortunately were allowed to determine the winner."

He went on to plead for game fairness and field recourse next football season.

"You and the other team owners should make sure that by next season, there is some recourse on the field when such a clear error is made."

Governor Edwards finished the letter by illustrating the endurance and loyalty of New Orleans Saints fans.

"Time has proven that the people of Louisiana are resilient, and we have overcome setbacks much bigger than a bad call in a football game. We will move on from this game and will be there to support the Black and Gold when they take the field this fall. We will move past this game, but we will not forget it."

You can read the governor's full letter here. On Monday, Saints owner Gayle Benson released a statement on the crucial missed penalty.

For a snapshot of head coach Sean Payton's post-game press conference, click here.

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