NEW ORLEANS – A Federal judge has shot down a lawsuit aiming to force the NFL to replay the final moments of the hotly contested NFC Championship game.
The suit, which was filed by local attorney Frank D’Amico Jr. on behalf of two Saints season ticket holders and “the Who Dat Nation,” asked Roger Goodell and the NFL to invoke a rule that would allow the teams to take the field once again and proceed as if the infamous “no-call” in the fourth quarter had not occurred.
In a ruling issued on January 31, United States District Judge Susie Morgan sided with the NFL and denied the claims put forth in the lawsuit, effectively settling the matter.
In response, D’Amico wrote in a letter filed today that the NFL’s initial claim that “Rule 17,” which would allow the commissioner to reverse an on-field result, has never been used in the league’s 99 year history, was in fact a lie.
The rule, D’Amico wrote must have been used in the wake of a 2001 game where the opposing teams were ordered back on the field after the refs blew the final whistle with 48 seconds left on the game clock.
D’Amico also cited Goodell’s lack of clear answers to direct questions about the rule during a January 30 press conference as further evidence that the NFL isn’t being honest about the situation.
The Super Bowl will take place in Atlanta this Sunday.
