Gov. Edwards to NFL: You blew it

Gov. John Bel Edwards has a message for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell: We was robbed!

Edwards sent a letter to Goodell Tuesday lamenting the blown pass interference call that most believe would have sent the New Orleans Saints to the Super Bowl.

Instead, the Los Angeles Rams ended up beating the Saints 26-23 in overtime, breaking the hearts of Who Dat Nation.

"The very least that any fan of the Saints, or any other team, should be able to expect from any game is that the result will be decided by the players on the field," Edwards wrote in his letter to Goodell. "By missing the obvious, blatant and intentional penalty at the end of the game, the referees in Sunday's game undermined that expectation and unfortunately were allowed to determine the winner. The team deserved better. Saints fans deserved better. The city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana deserved better."

Edwards expressed "deep disappointment" on behalf of Louisiana and Saints fans everywhere.

Saints fans have demanded a rematch in petitions and even a lawsuit, but Goodell has yet to comment.

"While it certainly would be within your powers to determine that the missed call was so out of bounds that it affected the fundamental fairness of the game (and, without a doubt, it was), I do recognize that you are unlikely to change the result of the game," Edwards wrote in his letter.

Edwards is an avid Saints fan who attends most home games and was there Sunday for the NFC Championship game.

The governor called on the NFL to expand its replay rules to allow such game-changing calls to be reviewed in the future.

"If the NFL fails to act, the very integrity of the game will be questioned," Edwards wrote.

The governor hailed Louisiana's resilience, saying, "... we have overcome setbacks much bigger than a bad call in a football game.

"We will move past this game, but we will not forget it," he said.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1