TRÖL: Karma comes calling for Sean Payton

Earlier this season, in a game against the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints’ head coach Sean Payton thought it would be a pretty neat idea to throw a “choke” sign at Atlanta Falcons’ running back Devonta Freeman. The move was, undoubtedly, a reference to the Falcons losing a huge lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. Payton’s team would go on to lose that game to the Falcons on a last-minute interception.

You would think that Payton would have learned something from that, but that would imply that Payton was capable of learning anything. Luckily for Vikings fans, he is not.

With 25 seconds left to go in yesterday’s NFC Divisional Playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium, kicker Will Lutz hit a field goal to give the Saints a 24-23 lead over the Minnesota Vikings. So, what was Payton doing instead of putting together a strategy that could have helped his team preserve a victory to advance to the NFC Championship Game?

He thought it would be a pretty neat idea to turn to the Vikings’ fans behind the Saints bench. . .and do this.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. That’s Sean Payton doing the “Sköl” clap. (Credit to Twitter user cyvonne1229 for first bringing it to my attention.)

Earlier in the day on KFAN, former Viking (and current KFAN sideline reporter) Ben Leber said that he had seen Payton doing the clap to mock Vikings fans after the field goal, but this is the first visual evidence of anything that we’ve gotten.

Of course, since NFL games are sixty minutes long and not fifty-nine minutes and thirty-five seconds, the Vikings had an opportunity at the end of the game, and they made the best of it. Case Keenum and Stefon Diggs connected for what might be the most important play in Minnesota Vikings’ history, and the Vikings went on to a 29-24 victory.

To be honest, that was one of the more satisfying things about that final play. . .watching that smug, spineless, human colostomy bag finally get exactly what he deserves. Sean Payton should still be serving a lifetime suspension from the National Football League for his pay-to-cripple scheme in 2009 (along with Gregg Williams and Mickey Loomis), but the league has seen fit to allow him to roam the sidelines anyway. Because, you know, player safety or some such.

I’m relatively certain that Payton and Drew Brees are the only people from the 2009 team that are still with the Saints. I don’t have a huge problem with Brees (outside of his “I didn’t see nothin’, I didn’t hear nothin’, I don’t know nothin’” schtick about the bounty thing after the Saints’ coaches had already been suspended for it). I’m sure that some will say that he has “bravado” or “moxie” or what have you, but let’s get real. There’s a significant difference between “bravado” and “jackassery,” and not only has Payton crossed that line, he’s blasted through it like Pete Rose blowing up Ray Fosse in the 1970 MLB All-Star Game.

On the bright side, Sean Payton now has plenty of time to learn the Sköl chant and how to do it properly.

On his couch.

At his home.

Because the Minnesota Vikings put him there.