Did Sean Payton Trip Referee Clete Blakeman After Loss To Falcons?

Sean Payton wasn’t pleased after his New Orleans Saints lost a close one to the Atlanta Falcons 20-17 Thursday night. In fact, he got a personal foul for unsportsmanlike conduct that essentially ended the game. Payton was flagged on the Falcons’ final drive of the game for coming on the field after yelling for a timeout, and it gave Atlanta a first down, which all but sealed the loss for the Saints.

On his way off the field, Payton appeared to get tangled up with Clete Blakeman, the referee who whistled him for the costly penalty. Was it an accident or did he attempt to trip the zebra? You be the judge:

" Classy Sean Payton. What a scumbag. P.S. Thanks for the W ? pic.twitter.com/MdeHhQSqe8 — Jared Paul (@jaredmpaul) December 8, 2017 "

Maybe it was just a coincidence that the two wound up getting mixed up after a heated in-game exchange, but that’s one heck of a coincidence.

There were a number of questionable calls in the fourth quarter Thursday night, so Payton was ticked off before he got the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. It’s not a stretch to think he may have taken a little shot at Blakeman on his way off the field.