The NFL couldn’t protect Bill Vinovich forever. Or they at least couldn’t get him to referee a New Orleans Saints game without a vacation to Paris thrown into the deal. Vinovich and his crew will officiate Sunday’s game between the Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Stade de France, per Football Zebras.
Vinovich, of course, was the head referee during the infamous NFC Championship Game marred by a blatant uncalled pass interference penalty in the fourth quarter. That officiating decision forced the Saints to kick a field goal when they could have taken over in the Los Angeles Rams red zone with a chance to run out the clock and score a game-winning touchdown. Instead, the game went to overtime, the Rams went to the Super Bowl (and lost),
rules changed were enacted, and the relationship between Saints fans and the NFL as an organization has never been the same.
While Vinovich wasn’t the official at fault on the play, he was responsible for the “all star” crew’s performance, and he was the only giving less-than-satisfactory answers after the game. He hasn’t returned to referee a game in New Orleans ever since, and this will be his first meeting with the Saints at all since Jan. 20, 2019. That he went on to officiate a Super Bowl or two while being given other high-profile assignments only brought more friction between the Who Dat Nation and a league office they felt had robbed them of a Super Bowl berth. He’s sure to get a warm welcome from the diehard fans who have traveled halfway around the world to see their team compete in a historic game.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Bill Vinovich will referee his first Saints game since NFCCG No-Call
