On Thursday, Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a statement praising the New Orleans Saints for their outstanding performance during the 2018 NFL season. She also joined many others in expressing her disappointment in the way that season ended.
“I speak for all of New Orleans and for all of Saints Nation when I say how incredibly proud we are of our team — of what they accomplished and of how graciously and professionally they represented our people at every step of the way. Sunday’s result is a bitter pill for us all, and I stand with Gayle Benson and fully support her fight to aggressively pursue changes to NFL policies,” the Mayor said.
The Cantrell administration sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell urging him to speak up against the now-infamous no-call by officials during the NFC Championship match between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams.
https://youtu.be/ryqGaDAFqqg
Since that game and botched call, the New Orleans City Council, Governor John Bel Edwards, team owner Gayle Benson, and others have called on Goodell to invoke Rule 17 to either overturn the game’s outcome, or grant the Saints a rematch.
Rule 17, Section 2, Article 1 says:
“The Commissioner has the sole authority to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary and/or corrective measures if any club action, non-participant interference, or calamity occurs in an NFL game which he 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.”
There’s also Rule 17, Section 2, Article 3:
“The Commissioner’s powers under this Section 2 include the imposition of monetary fines and draft-choice forfeitures, suspension of persons involved in unfair acts, and, if appropriate, the reversal of a game’s result or the rescheduling of a game, either from the beginning or from the point at which the extraordinary act occurred.”
However, so far, Goodell has been silent on the issue.
In the meantime, fans have continued to be vocal in their support of the team. It’s very clear that in New Orleans, the Saints aren’t just a football team. The mayor agrees:
“We’re a family in New Orleans. We celebrate together, and we grieve together — both in our own unique way. As the people of our City step out to show their love for the Saints, I will be right there with them, ‘in that number’: to show love for our team, and to show them the respect they have earned.”
https://www.facebook.com/mayorcantrell/photos/a.587410148295638/756422374727747/
