During his NFL suspension, Sean Payton coached his son’s grade-school team. Memorialized initially as a documentary, the story is now the subject of a Netflix production.
Photo courtesy of Soundinthesignals.com
Head coach Sean Payton led the New Orleans Saints to the 2010 Super Bowl, beating the Green Bay Packers, 31- 17. But rumors were swirling amid the joy of winning the big game, speculation about an activity that would soon carry the name, Bountygate. Bountygate involved coaches encouraging players to injure opposing players in a pay-for-play scheme.
The NFL intervened and found evidence to support the allegations. Among a list of penalties, Payton was suspended and the Saints also lost their first two draft picks.
Photo courtesy History v. Hollywood
But this story isn’t about that scandal per se. It’s about what Sean Payton did during his suspension. And he didn’t have to change roles to do it, either.
Payton continued coaching, not professionally mind you, but as the Offensive Coordinator for his son’s sixth-grade football team. Connor Payton played for the Liberty Christian Warriors in Argyle, Texas. And the team did very well, too–winning every game–until they played the Springtown Porcupines, a team that ran the single-wing formation that the Warriors had trouble defending.
Well connected to coaches around the country, Sean Payton called on one of his contacts, two-time Super Bowl champion coach Bill Parcells, who had experience with that offense. But even with Parcells’ advice, the Warriors came up short against the Porcupines when the two teams played again in the league finals. The outcome was closer than the first meeting, but (as they say in sports), “An ‘L’ is still an ‘L.'”
Reflecting on his youth coaching experience. Sean Payton realized that he probably gained more than he gave. Among other things, the experience rekindled his love for the game of football. What’s more, his daughter, Meghan, made a documentary about her father’s coaching days at Liberty Christian. Today, Payton’s youth coaching experience is ready for the big screen in a film entitled, Home Team, (Netflix), featuring Kevin James as Sean Payton. The film was just released in late January 2022.
