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Roger Goodell says he never considered overturning Rams-Saints outcome
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ATLANTA - On Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke publicly for the first time since the blown call that potentially kept the Saints out of the Super Bowl.
Goodell appeared in Atlanta, the site of Super Bowl LIII, for his annual "State of the League" address. But the conference was largely commandeered by media asking questions about the now infamous missed penalty in the NFC Championship game.
Immediately after the loss, Head Coach Sean Payton said Senior Vice President of Officiating Al Riveron admitted the officials "blew the call" on the field.
Goodell echoed what Payton said he was told by the head of officiating after that game, saying the penalty was a call that "should have been made."
But when asked about the push from fans to have the game replayed, Goodell said that was never a possibility.
"I think it's clear. I wrote down the rule... 'the commissioner will not apply his authority in cases of complaints by clubs concerning judgmental errors or routine errors by game officials,'" said Goodell, referencing the NFL rule book. "So that was not a consideration."
The commissioner also fielded questions about potential changes to replay protocols to prevent future missed calls. However, Goodell refused to commit to any changes, only saying that topic is expected to come up in post-season discussions.
Since the game, Saints fans and nonpartisans across the football community have criticized Goodell for failing to properly address the debacle. He rationalized that silence Wednesday by saying Payton had shared the league's view on the play in his post-game press conference.
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