Report: Rams' Robey-Coleman fined for non-call play in NFC title game
The NFL has yet to provide an official statement on the missed penalty call late in last Sunday's NFC Championship Game, but it made a statement of sorts by fining Los Angeles Rams corner Nickell Robey-Coleman for the play in question.
Robey-Coleman was fined $26,739 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New Orleans Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports, citing a source. Robey-Coleman was infamously not penalized for either defensive pass interference or a helmet-to-helmet hit on the crucial play late in the title game.
With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the Saints were marching with the score tied 20-20 and 1:49 left in the fourth quarter. On third-and-10, just 13 yards from the end zone, Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw a pass to Lewis, but Robey-Coleman laid him out before the ball arrived.
I have literally never seen a call blown like this during a conference championship game. Refs handed it to the @RamsNFL tonight. Feel bad for the @Saints. #saintsgotrobbed pic.twitter.com/I12HyAtDLO
— Dan LaRock (@LaRockDan) January 21, 2019
If the Rams defender had been whistled for a helmet-to-helmet hit, it would have not only given the Saints half the distance toward the end zone, but also a fresh set of downs.
Instead, they were forced to kick a field goal on the next play, and it was matched by the Rams. Los Angeles won 26-23 in overtime.
Robey-Coleman admitted after the game that he expected to be penalized for the play.