THE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS Volume: 62 Issue: 14
BY STEFAN MURO Reporter
JANUARY 30, 2019
unodriftwood.com
BLOW WHISTLES, NOT GAMES
Prior to kickoff of the 2019 NFL Pro Bowl, Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was already making headlines on social media. The five-time Pro-Bowler arrived to Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida in a black T-shirt that spoke substantially louder than any fashion statement. His shirt read “blow whistles not games” in big, bold white letters. Underneath, it featured a small picture of a referee shrugging his shoulders, along with a smaller message: “make calls, not apologies.” This was clearly a reference to the now infamous “no-call” pass interference that likely kept the Saints from playing in Super Bowl LIII. Jordan joins fellow players, personnel and even politicians who have stood up and taken action on behalf of the heartbroken Who Dat Nation. Since the NFC Title Game loss, much has transpired. Including: A Madison County, Mississippi resident named Terry Cassereino started a Change.org petition that reads “Due to the refs’ inability to properly officiate at the game, we the undersigned want a rematch against L.A. on Sunday, Jan. 27. It’s the only fair solution to this travesty of epic proportions.” The petition managed to go viral and obtain about 756,000 signatures in its oneweek span. Season ticket holders Tommy Badeaux and Candis Lambert filed lawsuits against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell for the emotional trauma and monetary loss due to the controversial call. Badeaux and Lambert hired Frank D’Amico Jr., also known by his local nickname—The Strong Arm— to take the case. D’Amico wants Goodell to enforce Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1 in the NFL Rulebook, which calls for the commissioner’s “sole authority to investigate
-Photo via ESPN Twitter ESPN posted this photo on their Twitter account 90 minutes before kickoff of the 2019 NFL Pro Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Jordan’s shirt was arguably the biggest headline of the Pro Bowl.
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Best of the Best: Keeping up with Pro Bowl student government
and take appropriate disciplinary/ corrective measures in any club action, non-participant interference, or calamity [which] 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.” This includes a reversal of the game’s result or a replay of the entire game affected by the call. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy made an elaborate presentation of the controversy about what he calls the “most blatant and consequential blown call in NFL history” to fellow Senate members on Capitol Hill. Cassidy explained to his peers that “Football is more than just a game, it’s part of our culture” and that the no-call “impugned the integrity of the game.” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards wrote Goodell a letter expressing “deep disappointment” in the result of the no-call and the lack of action taken by him and the NFL following the game. Edwards mentioned in the letter that “I do recognize that you are unlikely to change the result of the game.” Unfortunately, Edwards seems to be correct. Despite the NFL fining Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman $26,739 for helmet-to-helmet contact on Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, there was no statement from Goodell or the NFL regarding the missed pass interference call. Neither was there any acknowledgment of Cassereino’s petition or the political moves being made against the NFL about this matter. With the Super Bowl less than a week away, it seems that the NFL will not take any further action toward the debacle that was the NFC Championship game. The Who Dat Nation is hoping more of its most influential members can take further action to give the Saints justice.
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Yoga in the Bywater
Do the Saints deserve a rematch?