New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton met with the media in a press conference following his team’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the 2018 NFC championship game. While fielding questions from reporters, Payton acknowledged that he received a call with the league office in New York. The call concerned a play in which Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis was tackled well before the ball was thrown his way by Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman. Robey-Coleman even admitted to Robert Klemko of Sports Illustrated that he should have been penalized for the error.
Payton relayed the message from the NFL’s head of officiating: “It was simple.