New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi drew a lot of questions after his team’s 20-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but one of them focused on what exactly happened in his late-game interaction with defensive end Payton Turner.
Toward the end of the game, it almost looked as though the coach’s legs had gone numb and that he had lost his balance before he hugged Turner and spoke with him. It also appeared that Rizzi lost balance during the moment, though he walked off the field normally following the incident.
Rizzi said he yelled at Turner with roughly 30 seconds left in the contest because Turner was celebrating before the game had ended.
“So, (I was) screaming at him. So, he’s spraying water and I ripped his (redacted), quite frankly,” Rizzi began. “So, when the game was over, he wanted to get me back, so he came up to me and I wasn’t looking and he jacked me up from the back.”
The interim coach, who won his first game in the position and has instilled a new sense of optimism within the team and the fan base, said that he’s fine after his left arm went numb and that it is nothing new considering that he’s had a “history of stingers.” Still, the sudden loss of balance almost brought his legs out from under him, so he grabbed onto his player for support.
Rizzi and the Saints will look to build upon this statement victory as they head through the final stretch of the season. That journey will start with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Nov. 17. Kickoff is set for Noon CT at the Caesars Superdome.
