New Orleans Lawyer Files Lawsuit Over Ending to Saints-Rams Game

Personal injury attorney Frank J. D’Amico Jr. calls himself “The Strong Arm.”

A New Orleans personal-injury lawyer has filed a lawsuit over the controversial finish to Sunday’s Rams-Saints game, according to local TV station WDSU. 

Frank J. D’Amico Jr. says he “has been approached by numerous season ticket holders and members of the Who Dat Nation to take legal action” against commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL in hopes of having the game replayed. 

D’Amico’s reasoning is Rule 17, Section 2, Article 3 of the NFL rule book, which gives the commissioner the authority to order a game be replayed in the case of “extraordinarily unfair acts.” The loophole was first pointed out by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. In fact, D’Amico’s press release features Florio’s article copied and pasted in full, without attribution. 

Damages in Saints ticket holder lawsuit against the Roger Goodell & the NFL include:

Mental anguish & emotional trauma

Loss of faith in the NFL

Loss of enjoyment of life

Loss of entertainment

Distrust of the game

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 22, 2019

Two lawyers from Lafayette, Louisiana have also sent a letter to Goodell urging him to enforce Rule 17 and have the game replayed from the point of Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman’s uncalled pass interference penalty. 

As much as fans would love to see a chaotic midweek replay of the NFC championship, legal efforts are unlikely to succeed. Sports Illustrated legal analyst Michael McCann points out that Rule 17 is not worded to include errors in officiating and that the NFL has no precedent for replaying games. 

Don’t expect D’Amico to back down, though. 

“Over the years, I’ve handled thousands of car wreck cases,” D’Amico says in a TV ad. “But I’ve also handled the kind of cases some lawyers just don’t want to touch.”

This sounds like one of those cases.