Sean Payton calls out commissioner Roger Goodell over unbelievable Saints statistic

It's no mystery that Broncos head coach Sean Payton and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell aren't the best of friends.

In a profile for ESPN, Seth Wickersham spoke with Payton about a range of topics, but the most fascinating was Payton's sharp comments about Goodell.

Wickersham notes that Payton, formerly the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, has strong feelings about Goodell's role in how New Orleans was officiated during his last four years with the organization.

"I think it starts with Roger," Payton said.

Per Wickersham, "the Saints ... commissioned a study of penalties drawn by each NFL team over the previous four seasons [2018-21]. New Orleans ranked 30, 31, 32, and 32... The data concluded that the Saints were the only team in the bottom five in penalties for four straight seasons since 2006," which happens to be the year that both Payton was hired by the Saints and Goodell was promoted to commissioner. 

Last season, New Orleans' first under head coach Dennis Allen, the team tied with Tampa Bay at 20th in penalties (99).

Wickersham makes a fascinating point later in the profile after Payton lamented, "Success or lack of success with the Saints is a blip on the NFL," by noting Payton's belief that the NFL "is invested in Denver's success."

That feels a bit conspiratorial. While it's unquestionably shady that the Saints were routinely among the most penalized teams for an unprecedented stretch of time under Payton, it's still a surprise for him to reveal he believes the league essentially plays favorites.

With the way Goodell's gone after Payton in the past, however, he has a reason to be suspicious about what happened in his final seasons in New Orleans.

The infamous "NOLA No-Call" during the 2018 season, when the Rams got away with an obvious pass interference late in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship, frustrated Payton, as did his season-long suspension for "Bountygate" after "The league office and Payton agreed that he wasn't a direct participant in the pay-for-knockout system orchestrated by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams."

During an appeal of his 2012 suspension, Wickersham writes, Goodell and Payton "ended up screaming at each other."

While it's undoubtedly frustrating for Payton, the idea that referees who don't even know what a catch is are capable of conspiring against an NFL team is a bit ludicrous. It's a major accusation to hurl at the league and likely won't patch up Payton's and Goodell's tenuous relationship.