METAIRIE, La. -- Sean Payton said he did not expect to get fined when he pointed out what he thought was an officiating error a day after the New Orleans Saints' 34-32 loss at Denver in Week 3 of the season.
The Saints coach acknowledged the $15,000 fine for the first time on Monday, saying he planned an appeal.
Payton said a week ago that he believed officials mistakenly failed to throw a flag when a Broncos defender lined up in the neutral zone during New Orleans' third-and-1 play in the final minutes of the game.
New Orleans failed to get the yard it needed and Martin Gramatica narrowly missed a 43-yard field goal attempt with 1:55 to go.
Payton said he did not notice the player during the play, but said it was clear to him while watching film of the game the following day and that he did not understand how the officials could have missed it.
Payton said Monday that the NFL "does great job with officiating" overall and that he did not want to get into the specifics of his appeal.
"The good news is, you can appeal," he said. "The bad news is, those that hear the appeal are ones that issued the fine."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
