NBA Veteran Slams Arthur Smith With Stinging Reply After Falcons Coach’s Controversial Outburst

The New Orleans Saints blew out the Atlanta Falcons. The game ended 48-17 and was immediately engulfed in controversy. Falcons coach Arthur Smith was furious over a last-minute touchdown scored by the Saints. Following the TD, he rushed to Dennis Allen to express his anger with an NSFW rant.

Although Allen extended his apologies to the Falcons and their coach, the damage was done. This whole fiasco prompted a response from NBA veteran Eddie Johnson who favored the Saints in their touchdown decision.

The reason behind Arthur Smith’s frustration runs deep

Johnson posted on X what he would have done if he was in the Saints coach’s shoes. He wrote, “If I were Dennis Allen, I would say you didn’t stop me all day and so what’s one more, oh have a great off season!” The Saints vs Falcons post-game drama made headlines and is a topic of discussion among NFL fans. While many, such as Johnson, believe that Smith was overreacting because the Falcons were losing the game anyway, the other side of the argument is more about the sportsmanly spirit. But, could there be another reason behind this outburst from Smith?

The losses were piling up on Smith’s resume and he knew what this loss would mean. Shortly after the Falcons blowout, the official word came in that the Falcons had fired their coach Arthur Smith. This was his third season with the Atlanta franchise and in all these seasons, he hasn’t been able to put up a favorable result for his team. This loss and the Falcons’ exit ultimately meant that he would be shown the door by the upper management and that might have been on his mind after the loss on the field.

While the last-minute 1-yard touchdown is still debatable on the grounds of sportsmanship, Allen did extend his apologies. He said at the post-game interview, “I’m gonna start by apologizing to Arthur Smith and the Falcons.” The 51-year-old also made himself clear by saying that the players should’ve taken the knee at the time, but they thought of the touchdown for their teammate. Saints’ players wanted Jamaal Williams to score his first TD of the season and therefore continued the play.

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Allen said, “That’s not who we are, not what we’re about,” and that the play is “unacceptable” but what’s done is done now and mere words won’t help make up for it.

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