A pair of stories came to light on Sunday that will likely make people in New Orleans look at the NFL sideways.
Whether actual conflicts of interest exist is up for debate, but the optics of using a former Atlanta Falcons player on the officiating crew during Thursday’s game against the Falcons and hiring a key member of the so-called bounty scandal to work for the league office is going to raise some eyebrows.
Though he wasn’t listed as part of the lineup for Thursday’s officiating crew distributed to the media, former Falcons player Phil McKinnely served as the down judge during this week’s game between the Saints and Falcons.