Rams' Nickell Robey-Coleman Fined For Illegal Hit On Tommylee Lewis, Despite No Penalty Call
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Some fuel has been added to the fire burning among the New Orleans Saints and their fans.
The NFL on Friday fined Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Tommylee Lewis. The fine cost Robey-Coleman $26,739, according to Adam Schefter, but that's not the intriguing part of the story.
The news is interesting because the fine is a result of a very controversial non-call that came late in Sunday's NFC Championship Game. Had a penalty -- either pass interference or unnecessary roughness for an illegal hit to the head of a defenseless receiver -- been called, it would have given the Saints a fresh set of downs deep in Rams territory with under two minutes to play. But no penalty was called, forcing the Saints to kick a field goal with 1:45 left in the game.
The Rams then drove 45 yards and kicked a game-tying field goal to send the game to overtime, where they won to punch a ticket to Super Bowl LIII.
The lack of penalty call has generated a significant wave of controversy, and short of referee Bill Vinovich apparently lying about not having seen the play, there has not been an official word to the public from the NFL on the matter.
That was, until Friday. The envelope waiting in Robey-Coleman's locker might as well have included a sticky note with a simple message for all Saints fans: "We blew it."