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An attorney in New Orleans, Frank D’Amico Jr. has filed a lawsuit with the Civil District Court of Orleans Parish to request the courts to take action against the NFL.
They could use a rule allowing the Commissioner to investigate or take corrective measures to the NFC championship game between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams.
D’Amico Jr. said he initiated the litigation after being approached by Saints fans.
Fans and NFL players alike are in agreement that the obvious pass interference penalty captured by cameras that officials in the game failed to call, despite a referee being right at the spot of the infraction in a perfect position to witness the offense.
The pass interference and helmet-to-helmet penalty occurred on the nine-yard line late in regulation time that would have put the Saints in scoring position. Ultimately, the non-call allowed the Rams to advance to the Super Bowl after winning in overtime.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, according to NFL rules, has the ability to force a replay. The commissioner could, in essence, turn back time on the championship game. The commissioner could force the game to go back to the spot of the penalty, put the remaining time back on the game clock, and allow the game to proceed from that point.
“The commissioner has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club actions, non-participant interference, or calamity 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,” according to NFL Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1.
After the game on Sunday, Saints’ coach Sean Payton said the referees admitted they had missed the call on the field.
“It was simple, they blew the call. They said, ‘There should not have been a call.’ They said not only was it interference, it was helmet-to-helmet. They couldn’t believe it.”
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) has also issued a formal complaint directly to the NFL over a no-call by referees.
