Using the SKOL Chant as a taunt has many fans of the Minnesota Vikings irate toward Saints head coach Sean Payton, who thinks it was ‘good playoff fun’.
The Divisional Round playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints provided NFL fans with enough drama and memories to last a lifetime, whether on the winning or losing side of the game.
The “Minneapolis Miracle” was one of the most improbable plays in playoff history, sending the Vikings from the brink of despair to the Conference Championship against the Eagles in a matter of 10 seconds.
However, it was New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton who thought he was having the last laugh while breaking out a SKOL clap on the sidelines after his team kicked a field goal to give the Saints the lead with less than a minute left.
Woops pic.twitter.com/2uAupT14NQ
— Matthias Buechler (@MatthiasBeekie) January 16, 2018
Payton has a bit of a history of taunting. NFL fans and those who follow the Atlanta Falcons may remember him making a choking gesture at running back Devonta Freeman during the regular season this year and later said he regretted doing it, but that didn’t stop him from doing it again on Sunday.
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Payton was asked about the gesture after the game and NOLA.com shared his interesting response to the taunting on their website:
"“There was just a group of fans; it was good playoff fun,” Payton said."
So, it sounds like the Saints head coach was getting tired of the SKOL Chant as well as the crowd’s “We Dat” and “SKOL Dat” chants directed at New Orleans and decided to fire back with a gesture of his own.
While he may believe it is just playful fun, doing this gesture helped to drive a bigger wedge between the Vikings and Saints fanbases, especially after the team and players were already hugely upset over the Michael Thomas hit that caused Andrew Sendejo to enter concussion protocol.
Next: Vikings heading to NFC Conference Championship Game
What did you think of Saints coach Sean Payton mocking the SKOL Chant at U.S. Bank Stadium and does this change your opinions of the franchise in New Orleans at all? Let us know what you think in the comments below.