Saints coach Sean Payton taunted Vikings fans before losing playoff game
Saints head coach Sean Payton taunted Vikings fans after New Orleans took a 24-23 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the NFC divisional-round playoff game Sunday at U.S.Bank Stadium.Former Vikings linebacker Ben Leber, a KFAN analyst, shared that Payton did the Vikings Skol chant gesture after New Orleans’ Wil Lutz kicked a 43-yard field goal to give the Saints the lead.Fan Tom Beito corroborated it Monday on Twitter: “It happened.I was in the 10th row right behind (Payton).He turned around, looked at us, and did a mocking Skol Chant with 0:25 left after the field goal.Then he got what he deserved.”On the last play of the game, Saints safety Marcus Williams missed a tackle — now being referred to as the “whiff-six” — that allowed Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs to race 34 yards and cap a 61-yard touchdown reception to give Minnesota an improbable 29-24 win.The Vikings face the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday in Philadelphia.Despite the gut punch of a loss, Payton stuck by his antic toward Vikings fans on Tuesday.“It was good playoff fun,” he told the New Orleans Times-Picayune.After Beito’s comment Monday, Matthias Buechler shared these photos: pic.twitter.com/cTxaTYtoMC — Matthias Buechler (@MatthiasBeekie) January 16, 2018 Payton has a history for taunting.In Week 14, the Super Bowl-winning coach was caught on camera giving a choke sign to Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, which is believed to be a reference to Atlanta giving up a 28-3 lead to New England and losing last year’s Super Bowl.