NFL removes Rams-Saints lawsuit to federal court

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The Rams-Saints lawsuit already is on the move.

Via Travers Mackel of WDSU, a message posted at the state courthouse in New Orleans indicates that the case has been moved to federal court, with a hearing set for noon ET.

This move means, as the NFL has confirmed to PFT, that the NFL has removed the case to federal court. It’s a right that the NFL automatically possesses, given that the plaintiffs in the case are Louisiana residents and the defendants are non-Louisiana residents.

The ability of the defendants in this situation to shift the case to federal court represents an acknowledgement by the federal government of the potential for home cooking, with elected state-court judges more inclined to take care of state residents at the expense of out-of-state interests.

Whatever happens at noon, the chances of an order requiring the Commissioner to take any action in relation to last Sunday’s game are somewhere between slim and none, and far closer to none. It’s too late to undo or alter or replay all or any portion of the Rams-Saints game, with the Patriots-Rams Super Bowl only six days away.

141 responses to “NFL removes Rams-Saints lawsuit to federal court

  1. You guys realize this is all just drama to draw interest to the league….which in turn keeps more money flowing….
    Vince has taught Roger well …….

  2. Power move by the NFL. Federal court means these plaintiffs (and attorneys) will have to come up with big bucks ($$$) to keep this going. And being that a no-name New Orleans attorney filed this suit, I can all but assure you that this will be dropped pretty quickly.

  3. The only right and equitable solution is the replaying of the game.

    In our age of technology we can’t even govern the game of football correctly. The NFL has a way of screwing everything up.

    With the NFL’s billions of dollars, their credibility with the public is on the line. In fact … it is shot.

    Make it right Roger Goodell, or cement your legacy as the man who turned the NFL into a “rigged” enterprise for the sake of going after the almighty buck.

    I hope fans search for higher ground when looking for sports entertainment. The choices are few.

  4. It will be more newsworthy when the NFL files for summary judgment after having the case removed.

  5. Hardcore Saints Fan-It is done and over with. It has been talked about enough. Felt like we were done wrong,but time to lay it to Rest. Hopefully something will be done in the future. Let The Rams -Patriots enjoy their game

  6. Oh my god, enough already, get over it! I mean, be bitter all you want, I’m sure I would be if this were my team but stop with the f’ing lawsuits & keeping this in the news. They missed the call, just like they missed the call on the facemask on Goff the possession before. It’s over, for better or worse, the rams won but enough already.

  7. Did’t hear the Saints complain when they were gifted the asterisked Bountygate NFC championship 10 yrs ago, with a trip to the Super Bowl.

  8. Saints Fans are coming off looking bad like really poor sports. not a good look for the fans of any team

  9. “The only right and equitable solution is the replaying of the game.”

    That’s delusional at this point and never going to happen. The only way any portion could have been replayed would have been if Goodell had stepped in before the Rams left New Orleans. Once that happened and Super Bowl prep, SB ticket purchases, hotel room and flight purchases etc had started there was no chance of any replay occurring

  10. The “presentation” of the “National Football League”. Can do whatever they want with their “presentation”. Including fixing games. Just like Vince can with wrestling.

  11. Pardon My Opinion But… says:
    January 28, 2019 at 12:02 pm
    The only right and equitable solution is the replaying of the game.

    In our age of technology we can’t even govern the game of football correctly. The NFL has a way of screwing everything up.

    With the NFL’s billions of dollars, their credibility with the public is on the line. In fact … it is shot.

    Make it right Roger Goodell, or cement your legacy as the man who turned the NFL into a “rigged” enterprise for the sake of going after the almighty buck.

    I hope fans search for higher ground when looking for sports entertainment. The choices are few.
    ——————————————
    Nope.
    The game has always about overcoming the other team, overcoming your own mistakes, and overcoming mistakes by the refs. The Saints were unable to do this.

  12. Watching what happened to the Saints didn’t make me lose any sleep. As a Viking fan, their “Get over it” response to the bounty gate championship game always felt like salt in the wound.

    With that said, the NFL has been involved with a lot of suspicious games over the years especially in playoff and championship games. I think they could use some outside scrutiny.

  13. It’s a bogus super bowl in my opinion. If the call is made, and it was clearly a penalty, the Saints take a couple of knees and kick a field goal shorter than an xtra point with 3 seconds left. I won’t watch this game, and if the Rams win???? BIG BIG mistake. Sorry Rams fan, it’s bogus.

  14. Some of these comments seem to imply that the writer thinks these lawsuits are the work of Saints fans writ large. It’s not. It’s two or three people who are doing this. Saints fans don’t dispute the results. They dispute the officiating, which was beyond incompetent. Still waiting to see what the NFL does regarding the officials’ future with the league.

  15. Pardon My Opinion But… says:
    January 28, 2019 at 12:02 pm
    The only right and equitable solution is the replaying of the game.

    ————-

    Actually the “right” solution is to accept the end result and move on with our collective lives….

  16. Well, they’re always taking away draft picks and fining teams. Maybe they can give New Orleans some draft picks and some money!!!

  17. #AsExpected. Per my comment dated January 22, 2018:

    “If the risk posed by ‘publicly-elected [Louisiana] judges’ is as great as you suggest, the NFL will surely seek to remove the case to federal court under 28 U.S.C. § 1332 to avoid what it might perceive as a disadvantage.”

  18. Bad calls happen all the time and in important games. Of course fans are angry and I don’t blame them for holding a grudge. But this wailing and melodramatic angst is just plain embarrassing. Move on.

  19. Drew audibled at the line it wasn’t Payton’s fault know your facts.
    ______________________________________________________________________________________

    ..if in fact this is true, I take back Sean Peyton HC bashing I’ve been doing….well most of it anyway.

  20. this is a good thing…how long are we going to pretend there isn’t a grievous refereeing problem in the nfl?

  21. harrisonhits2 you are totally correct, but this will at least push the NFL to explain why they did nothing, and possibly lead to a rules change. Think we need cell phone data from the NFL and refs. Lol

  22. hoops737 says:
    January 28, 2019 at 12:23 pm
    Drew audibled at the line it wasn’t Payton’s fault know your facts.
    ____________________________

    The first down call was wrong too.

    And Payton can tell him – hey, even though we typically kill the run into a pass based on the look, just run it to get the clock going and make them use their TO.

    He didn’t.

  23. This case makes a mockery of our judicial system. How out of whack are our priorities in this country that we would think for one minute that something like this belongs in our courtrooms.

    The court has no jurisdiction in the matter and the case will be dismissed- something both parties know. This is just a waste of time and taxpayer money.

    Saints fans have a legitimate beef, but enough is enough. They are totally clowning themselves at this point.

  24. Way to go Saints fans! This takes ‘sore loser’ to greater depths. Is the whole city going to watch a Saints/Pats Madden SB53 simulation game this Sunday?

  25. Don’t worry, If the NFL loses in the court they chose, they just find a different sympathetic judge, pay him off then convict with no evidence. All they did to NE was get them mad enough to win a couple Super Bowls.

  26. A waste of taxpayers money and everyone knows it. If the Plaintiff was forced to pay the NFL’s attorney fees following dismissal of the lawsuit (as would be the case in other countries) this suit would never be brought.

  27. Federal court??!! New Orleans. Get over it you lost! Cut it out. You sound like politicians that lost an election. Get over it

  28. “The ability of the defendants in this situation to shift the case to federal court represents an acknowledgement by the federal government of the potential for home cooking”

    “home cooking”? Sorta like having 4 referees from Southern California officiating the Rams-Saints game? That kind of “home cooking”?

  29. harrisonhits2 says:
    January 28, 2019 at 12:14 pm
    “The only right and equitable solution is the replaying of the game.”

    That’s delusional at this point and never going to happen. The only way any portion could have been replayed would have been if Goodell had stepped in before the Rams left New Orleans. Once that happened and Super Bowl prep, SB ticket purchases, hotel room and flight purchases etc had started there was no chance of any replay occurring
    —————–

    There was never a chance of any sort of replay occurring regardless of the circumstances.

  30. If you are a serious Raiders fan (Tuck Game) or a Saints fan, this is the kind of loss/injustice you take to your grave. You don’t just ‘get over it.”

    Obviously, the majority here have never felt this kind of sting in their devotion to the Sports team.

    A clean, well fought game or a true last minute interception is one thing, but a ‘zebra” standing right in front of the play and doing nothing is despicable and should be grounds for firing. (At the least)

  31. It’s going to be great when, during media week, the media doesn’t want to talk about the fake super bowl but rather the most egregious no call in the history of the NFL playoffs…

  32. Pardon My Opinion But… says:
    January 28, 2019 at 12:02 pm
    The only right and equitable solution is the replaying of the game.
    ——————————————————————-
    Obviously, not a serious comment but lets play it out.
    So what you really want is a fair shot. Lets imagine that the NFL decided to let the two teams play a standard overtime for the win. And lets just say, because the Saints were the aggrieved party – they get the ball first with a chance For Brees to lead a single game winning touchdown drive to earn a Super Bowl berth. Would that be fair? (chuckle)

  33. We just want Rodger Goodell and the NFL to show some leadership and admit, publicly, that a failure to call either penalty likely changed the outcome of the game. That and give a roadmap as to what they plan to do from having it happen again.

    Regardless of what very few of you think…sports fans across the country overwhelmingly agree with the Saints. Vinovich was heckled in UTAH! That alone speaks volumes about public perception.

  34. So what are they asking for in the lawsuit?
    If they win does it mean all NFL teams/team fans can sue for missed calls?
    Also if they win and the Rams win do the Rams forfeit their SB to the Saints?

    All crazy to me, it’s sports.

  35. Pardon My Opinion But… says:
    January 28, 2019 at 12:02 pm
    The only right and equitable solution is the replaying of the game.
    ========================================================================================================
    Really? Because of a bad call, it makes sense to replay the entire 60 minutes? What if that same call is made near the end of the 1st half or at any other time? A bad call is a bad call. How many games will we replay each year? A loss at the beginning of the season is worth as much as a loss at the end of the season, so every game is critical.

  36. Does this mean the NFL can take away the gifted Saints SB XLIV win?
    We all know they refused to call anything on the beating Favre took in the NFC final but hey the ref apologized to Favre so that’s ok … right?

  37. So the NFL is shifting the case to the Feds due to potential home cooking. How about 4 of the referees from that infamous game are from LA. Home cooking away from home is of course absurd, right?
    The Rams are 7-0 when referee John Parry is officiating and he is the head referee in the coming SB. The Pats are 9-5 when he is the referee. Coincidence? Should we be concerned?

  38. You may think this is ridiculous, and it may be, but we’ll all be glad it happened next season. If there is a real threat of a lawsuit, or some action being taken, the league might pay more attention to how it’s games are being officiated. I’m tired of seeing blown and non-calls every week. I’m tired of one team, in one game, being flagged every time you turn around and the “let them play ball” attitude in the next. There is no consistancy. You know it’s bad when players can tell you, a week before the game, they’re going to have trouble with an officiating crew because of how they’ve enforced the rules against them in the past. Don’t think that hasn’t happened, because it has.

  39. I don’t see this as a “Make ’em play it out” decision. The most the defendants can hope for is some financial damages, maybe sharing the Rams’ purse whether Los Angeles wins or loses.

    And I doubt they’ll even get that.

  40. The same thing happened to the 49ers in 1983 when their season was stolen from them in the NFC championship game with a phantom pass interference call on Ronnie Lott.

    The way the 49ers got over it was demolishing every team in its way the next season going 15-1 and destroying the Dolphins in the Super bowl.

    Meanwhile the unworthy Redskins got destroyed by the wack Raiders in the Super Bowl. 49ers would have smashed the Raiders in that super bowl. They were lucky they didn’t have the play the best NFC team.

  41. I kind of feel bad for Rams fans…all three of them. Rams did nothing wrong. They played, took advantage of what came their way and now they’re going to the Super Bowl.

  42. There is also home field advantage in the legal game. Does not surprise me. A jury made up mainly of house wives from Pasadena (a suburb east of LA) was told to decide whether the Raiders should be allowed to move to Los Angeles in the 1980s. Not surprisingly, the Raiders won its anti-trust suit. If the case was decided by an Oakland jury, guess which side would win.

  43. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell cannot call for Saints-Rams replay, court filing claims.

    Look it up people.

  44. Complete joke! The Saints lost because they couldn’t stop the Rams at the end of regulation and failed to score when getting the ball first in overtime. Period. Sean Payton paid his players to intentionally hurt players from other teams a few years back and bow wants to cry like a baby because of a missed call? Please!

  45. That’s it….any future Viking’s loss that I’m not happy about, I’ll just sue the NFL!
    I have a right to be happy and fulfilled at all times!!!
    Nothing unfair can ever happen to me, and I should never feel disappointment!

  46. What a darn waste of money! The individual who spearheaded this ludicrous law suit should be burdened with the expense of this suit. What is it that you really want? A financial settlement for pain and suffering? Mr Goodell and the NFL should have squashed this nonsense days ago. Cmon Roger! And cmon, good people of Louisiana!

  47. I never thought it would get this far. If you had told me that a missed call in a football game would lead to federal case, I would never have believed you. It was an egregious miss, yes. But the Saints had a double digit lead and numerous opportunities to win the game, at home.

  48. The lawyers filing this case are the equivalent of a surgeon agreeing to perform a procedure that has zero chance of helping the patient. Unprofessional misuse of the court system.

  49. AT this point – I would so much prefer that the Rams had beat us 53-7. Because then this call wouldn’t have affected the outcome of the game, and while still being one of the most blatant non-calls of all time – we would at least accept the beat-down no questions asked.

  50. Flip a coin. Whoever wins the coin flip, wins the game.
    ——————————————————-
    we can’t even do that….because someone pointed out that teams who win the coin flip in OT win at a rate of 52.7%….and that’s too unfair an advantage!! LOL

  51. Add this to the column in favor of the loser pays system.

    (Would Saints fans be mad when If they won (they won’t) the Rams filed the same lawsuit over the non called facemaskS?)

  52. Ol’ Rog is hoping a bad call goes against NE and directly results in their loss. This way outside of the New England region and the state of Louisiana it will all be forgotten and it will also be a win/win for Goodell – his two least favorite franchises- NE and NO will both have lost

  53. Talk about slippery slopes! If this law suit is valid, then every NFL team feeling grieved by a ref’s blown call will simply file a law suit.
    What a stupid idea. The NO Saints are making a sham out of football. The integrity of the game lies not with the NFL, but with the game itself. There will always be refs, some missing calls and some calls being phantom. And there will always be winners and losers. It takes a great team to win the game graciously, and it takes a great team to accept defeat with honor.

  54. Give it a rest already! When the courts start dictating the end of games, I’m done being a fan of said League…

  55. “Give it a rest already! When the courts start dictating the end of games, I’m done being a fan of said League…”

    I agree, we should only let the refs dictate the end of games…

  56. I am still amazed at the level of BS Rams fans are talking considering the best team lost due to what is the most obviously bad calls in history at the worst point of a game.

    Come on people buck up and at least admit that is the only reason they won the game.

  57. Why don’t you Saint’s fans try and figure out what to do about next season. You already are behind the 8 ball in the draft because you moved up for Marcus Davenport. Who will be on Payton’s radar in the 2nd round? Speaking of Sean Payton, why not sell him to Jerry Jones for a draft pick or two? Then you can build around old man Brees for your future. Come on Aints , aint it time to get over this or can the Falcons send over some tissue paper?

  58. Ask any attorney who litigates and it doesn’t take a genius to know that, regardless of the facts, the NFL would always remove any case it can to federal court.

  59. Pardon My Opinion But… says:
    January 28, 2019 at 12:02 pm
    The only right and equitable solution is the replaying of the game.

    ————————
    Sure, the court decides that on Friday, the game gets replayed on saturday, the winner gets up to Atlanta to face the Patriots on Sunday. What could possibly go wrong?

  60. Don’t hold your breath for an apology.

    Why would they aid an ongoing frivolous lawsuit?

    Goodell should just bring a metal whistle and blow that at every Saints related question.

  61. It was so flagrant, it was suspicious. Delay the Superbowl and play the NFC Championship game over again.

  62. Pretty much every team has had this sort of thing happen to them…just as bad. This would destroy the NFL if this happens once, count on games going to court every year.

  63. I don’t believe the fans have any legal standing. The only obligation the league would have is to act in good faith. There are no guarantees mistakes won’t be made, there are no indications of intentional wrong doing and there is proof the league trains the refs and has a process to address any poor performers. This thing gets a summary judgement.

  64. To date there have been one zillion mistakes made in the NFL and each has affected the outcome of a game. That’s just how linear time works. We’re all fine with it 99% of the time so, welcome hypocrites! It’s not like the Rams made up a story about the Saints then set had another team up a sting. This happened on the field. Happens every play, every day.

    And the Saints got jobbed BTW, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

  65. It doesn’t matter as the NFL never tells the truth anyway. They lied about not seeing the Ray Rice tape and they lied throughout the
    Deflategate hearings.

  66. haven’t read one comment, but please know that these are not most saints fans…in fact, it’s not even a decimal. while we don’t fool with goodell or this year’s super bowl, it ain’t that important.

  67. Saints fans you guys were not even using Alvin Kamara right. He looked more happy playing defensive back in the Pro Bowl than he ever looked running behind your OL. If you can’t even understand where a player should be? Then what makes you think you know about pass interference to begin with?

  68. Saints fans GET OVER IT !!!!
    I guess the Rams’ fans should be mad about the no call face mask too. Oh wait, they kicked off to the Saints in overtime and STILL WON. GET OVER IT!!!!

  69. The Saints would be in San Antonio were it not for Goodell. For the love of God. Get some perspective. It was a horrendous non-call. It happens.

    Find a way to score touchdowns in the first half. Run a more efficient offense. Avoid OT interceptions. And elect politicians who won’t embarrass themselves by talking about this.

  70. It’s rather comical hearing Saints fans whining about a “fix” to make sure LA is in the Super Bowl. The same was said about the Saints winning the Super Bowl after Hurricane Katrina wiped out New Orleans because the NFL felt sorry for the city. Same as Patriots winning after 9/11.

  71. People that want to beef with Saints fans over were were already inclined to beef with Saints fans anyway.

    But you can’t take away our successes no matter how hard you try.

  72. “Saints fans …your HC/OC lost the game for you, not one bad call by the ref’s….”

    ————

    I just don’t see why you would make excuses for someone who you know didn’t do their job. Like, we all saw the penalty. If it makes you feel better to pretend it didn’t matter at all, and you want it to happen again, go ahead, pretend.

  73. Saints fans would have no issue if they were in the Super Bowl but, the Rams lost out on the same call.

    Funny how that works.

    Every team has had bad calls. Even some teams in the Super Bowl have had bad calls that affected the outcome of said game, and lost.

    It sucks. I get it. Time to move on though.

  74. Why is the NFL considered non-resident to Louisiana? While Goodell doesn’t live there, the NFL does business there in the form of the Saints so a suit vs the NFL shouldn’t face diversity jurisdictional issues.

  75. This is much ado about nothing! Even if the NFL issues a statement confirming the (clearly) blown call, Goodell won’t reverse the game results or order the game restarted after the PI. The reason why is documented in the NFL rule book under Rule 17, Section 2, Article 2, which states in part:

    “…The Commissioner will not apply authority in cases of complaints by clubs concerning judgmental errors or routine errors of omission by game officials. Games involving such complaints will continue to stand as completed.”

    Any statement issued by the NFL might unruffled some feathers, but that’s about all. It’s a done deal.

  76. It’s very difficult to reach the SB. Some teams take decades to be in that place and then the referees somehow missed the call on such a blatant violation. How many more years will the Saints have to wait to be in that position? Then we expect the Saints and those outraged to just shove everything under the rug and shut up. The Saint’s coach was blowing his top off pointing to the referee what just happened and he was ignored. This will blow over but sheesh! Let people at least vent. What’s simmering under this incident is the fear that the NFL is deliberately manipulating the game to capture more market and make more money. Then what do we have? This should be straightened out specially with the advent of gambling. After all, Roger is supposedly high on the “ integrity of the game”.

  77. Folks. This is a game. Yeah, I want our courts that are supposed to deal with crime and other real world things to spare docket time to adjudicate a game whose outcome will never be changed. Ever. We should maybe keep our eyes on the real problems.

  78. You hear that saints fans! It’s too late!
    I’m no ram fan… but there’s 3 teams I’d rather see lose than any of the others. And the saints are 1 of those.

  79. lawrence stacy says:
    January 28, 2019 at 2:48 pm
    I am still amazed at the level of BS Rams fans are talking considering the best team lost due to what is the most obviously bad calls in history at the worst point of a game.

    Come on people buck up and at least admit that is the only reason they won the game.
    ==============================================

    We won because we played harder. The game had a handful of blown calls, that could have effected the game in millions of different ways.

    The game was played. The Rams had more points at the end.

    It’s really that simple.

    I get the frustration on the Saints part, it was a blown call. I would be just as upset on the non call.

    But there is nothing we can do about it.

    Funny how the Los Angeles Rams, have burnt a hole into the hearts of Saint fans.

    When it was the refs, that blew the call.

    Go Rams!

  80. let the lawsuits begin. How far back do we want to go? The first play of the NFC playoff game? There was probably holding on the OL or maybe it was on the DL

    Or how about the first NFL game of the season? Did the refs miss a call? Was that a legit game? Did the result of that first game change the playoff structure?

  81. The pass was not catchable. The Rams were penalized more. 7-64 vs 3-20. Looks like the Rams got screwed. Throughout the league- and that game- dozens of missed calls happen. Since that was not catchable who cares. Aints will be Aints.

  82. So…what will you say if the court rules Against the NFL? That it was flagged all along? I happen to think it quite possible the court could rule in favour of plaintiffs.

  83. Shame on the owner, coaches and fans. Game over! Waaaaaahhhhhh! It is now officially time for Saints fans to bring back the paper bags over your head ! Law suit! Do you folks REALLY think there would be a do over or any damn thing done to change the outcome after the fact. You have had your sports grieving time , it is way past time to move on. You have a great team, Drew Brees is awesome still, there is no reason you won’t repeat the success next year.

  84. This will go nowhere – in the scheme of things, it all evens out….e.g. you could point to earlier calls that went the Saints way etc. So this stands out do to timing, but doesn’t take in to account the big picture….both teams had an equal opportunity to win.

  85. Maybe it’s time to start thinking compensation for the Saints. Draft picks are probably out of the question as are a stack of free “get out of penalty” vouchers for Payton next year. A novel punishment would be for Mr. G’Dell to have to clean the Saints locker room during training camp next season. It would kill two birds with one stone. The Saints would get some satisfaction and the commish would learn what it feels like to have a real job.

  86. I’m not saying it was fixed nor am I saying the game should be replayed or whatever. All I want is for the nfl to come out and say the truth. It’s was perhaps the worst non call in league history. Just admit the obvious. The saints had opportunity to win after no doubt. But in that spot, that call cannot be missed ever.

  87. You guys think that non-call was bad? Watch the 2009 NFC Championship game and tell me about the 3, yes three, bad calls in OT that went the Saints way. Two of which went to review where Pete Morelli ruled for the Saints. I still don’t understand how he could rule first down for the Saints on that 4th down play. The runner did get to the line but then fumbled and clearly recovered short of the line to gain. It could not have been more clear.

  88. This is all ridiculous. May as well go back and play the last minute of 98-99 playoff game between Packers and Niners while were at it, YES Jerry Rice fumbled! But life and the NFL has moved on like it will now.

  89. NFL will use this game ending as proof to Congress that they need a piece of the gambling action to make investments that will maintain the integrity of the games for bettors. So Goodell it hurts.

  90. If they win this it will only open the door to replaying other games. Specifically the 09 NFCCG where the aints were handed the win. It will also open up the ability to subpoena Pete Morelli’s financial records @ the time and it can finally be 100% verified the aints cheated and paid off a ref. Hopefully it strips NO’s of their undeserved title and bans them and all the players on their team from the NFL for life.

  91. mdd913 says:
    January 28, 2019 at 4:39 pm
    People that want to beef with Saints fans over were were already inclined to beef with Saints fans anyway.

    But you can’t take away our successes no matter how hard you try.
    ===========================================

    This is the kind of stuff is just cringeworthy.

    I promise you this is not THAT serious.

  92. When all of you reading this realize that the NFL is and has been rigged for years, this won’t hurt anymore. They Rig it for certain teams because it’s “Better” for the nfl. It’s rigged for Tom Brady almost every single year. Stop wasting your money and energy.

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