Commissioner Roger Goodell moments after awarding Marvin Lewis with the NFL Coach of the Year award.
By Nuff Johnson
You could still see specs of yellow on the face of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as he stepped to the podium.
It was Goodell’s second trip to the podium, the first of which was to announce that Marvin Lewis had received the “NFL Coach of the Year” award.
The second announcement was a bit more difficult although less controversial: Goodell had to announce that the award had been given to Lewis in error.
Lewis was supposed to instead receive a Coaches Participation Ribbon, one of just 31 recipients of the award.
The Coach of the Year award was intended for Saints head coach Sean Payton, who was unable to receive the award due to a scheduling conflict Saturday at the Superdome.
Lewis was good-natured about having the award rescinded, and joked with Goodell at the podium.
“I didn’t expect to win it this year, considering some of the boneheaded things I did.” Lewis said. “Maybe Comeback Coach of the Year, or Best Coaching Record for a Team that Peaked in Mid-November, or Coach Most Unlikely to Win a Postseason Game … but certainly not Coach of the Year.”
Said a disappointed Marvin, "I coulda been a contender...."
