Share Messenger Tweet reddit Email

Looking to put everything back in balance after referees mistakenly officiated a game in which the New Orleans Saints were not negatively affected, the NFL today announced it is retroactively penalizing the team for “wearing white after Labor Day” in its game this past Sunday and will enforce the punishment in the next game.

The Saints wore their all-white “Color Rush” uniforms during their 33-27 win in Seattle against the Seahawks.

In a statement released this afternoon, the league said the Saints “blatantly disregarded league rules and therefore will be docked their first touchdown in their next game for conduct detrimental to the integrity of the NFL.”

According to league officials, that penalty will be enforced when the Saints take on the Dallas Cowboys at home on Sunday night, September 29th, essentially putting the Saints at minus seven points before the game even starts.

The league also fined the Saints $5 million, took away all of the team’s 2020-2022 draft picks, awarded the Atlanta Falcons the NFC South division title for 2019, and kicked the thumb on Drew Brees‘ throwing hand “for the violation of the playing rules and the failure to cooperate in the subsequent investigation.”

The little known rule, which does not appear anywhere in the official rule book, allegedly prohibits NFL teams from wearing all-white uniforms after Labor Day in accordance with an archaic fashion trend. The penalty cannot be appealed.

A spokesman for the NFL said the rulebooks where the rule does not appear are not the most up-to-date versions despite the copies Neutral Ground News obtained show “Official 2019-2020 NFL Season Rule Book” and “Final” written on them.

When questioned about the many other NFL teams that wear all-white uniforms after Labor Day, such as upcoming opponent the Dallas Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, and pretty much every other franchise, and that the Saints have had the uniform for decades, a spokesman for the league said, “Yeah, well, we’re talking about what the Saints did, not what other teams did or did not do.”