Whistleblower Wednesday: The No-Call Nightmare – Saints vs. Rams

The PI was obvious. The call wasn’t. And Pete is STILL SCREAMING.

⚜️ The Setup:

Date: January 20, 2019
Game: NFC Championship
Teams: New Orleans Saints ⚜️ vs. Los Angeles Rams 🐏
Tied game. Final minutes. Saints driving for the win.

Then it happened.

Saints WR TommyLee Lewis goes for a pass.
Rams DB Nickell Robey-Coleman obliterates him.
Helmet-to-helmet. Pass interference. Illegal contact.
Basically every penalty in the rulebook in a single hit.

AND THE REFS CALLED NOTHING.

The Saints settle for a field goal. Rams tie.
Overtime. Rams win. Saints go home. The rest of us scream into the abyss.

💬 The Fallout:

• Sean Payton (Saints Coach):
  Called the NFL office immediately. They admitted it was a blown call.
  (Cool. Real helpful. AFTER YOU TORCHED THE CITY.)

• Nickell Robey-Coleman (Rams):
  “Hell yeah it was PI.”
  (YOU. SAID. THE QUIET PART. OUT LOUD.)

• Drew Brees (Saints QB):
  Looked like a man who aged five years in five minutes.
  “I don’t understand how you miss that.”

👥 Fan Reactions:

• Saints fans:
  Lawsuits were filed. Billboards were bought.
  Mardi Gras floats mocked the refs.
  One man brought a tombstone labeled “NFL Credibility” to the Superdome.

• NFL fans:
  United in disgust. Analysts called it one of the worst no-calls in history.
  Fans demanded rule changes—and got them (too late).

• Rams fans:
  Celebrated like someone who tripped and fell into a Super Bowl.

🐧 Pete’s Commentary:

“I’ve thrown flags for less during recess. This wasn’t a missed call—it was a full-blown sports heist.”

“TommyLee Lewis got tackled like he owed Robey-Coleman $50 and a sandwich. The ref’s response? ‘Play on.’”

“This wasn’t a judgment call. It was a legally-blind panic attack with a whistle.”

📝 Pete’s Final Ruling:

Offense: Negligent whistle abandonment in a high-stakes environment.
Sentence: Refs must personally apologize to every Saints fan, individually, while wearing full Rams gear.
Alternate Punishment: No-call refs get pelted with penalty flags by an angry marching band in the French Quarter—weekly.

💥 Got a sports crime that still haunts your sleep?
📬 Submit it to Ask Pete. Because we remember what you did… and we have screenshots.