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Katherine Terrell, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS — Multiple New Orleans Saints players defended Jameis Winston and the decision to run a play out of victory formation against the Atlanta Falcons.
At least five current Saints and several former players defended Winston on social media after the backup quarterback handed the ball off to running back Jamaal Williams to score a touchdown instead of taking a knee. Winston overruled coach Dennis Allen’s orders to take a knee and run out the clock in what eventually became a 48-17 victory over their NFC South rival.
New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham wrote Monday on social media that critics should “get off [Winston’s] back.”
“This man is the best teammate I’ve ever had,” Graham said on X. “Loves this city, this game and embodies everything you can ask for in a leader. Was a rare situation and we all take responsibility. Nobody thought it would get blown out of proportion. Also [f—] the falcons.”
The players’ defiance of Allen’s playcall coincides with public scrutiny of the Saints’ leadership after the team missed the playoffs for the third straight season.
Saints defensive end and team captain Cameron Jordan also took to social media Monday to clarify an earlier comment where he discussed team leadership, emphasizing that he was talking about players like himself, not coaches.
“If leadership is not what it needs to be, leadership can change, just like players can change,” Jordan told reporters in the New Orleans locker room.
Jordan later wrote on social media: “Nope i was talking getting more from player leadership… starting with myself. The team goes as the players go.”
The players have rallied around themselves and Winston, including Graham, a 13-year-veteran who found himself in a similarly controversial situation in 2014 when he overruled then-coach Sean Payton’s orders not to dunk the ball after a touchdown during a preseason game, causing a shouting match on the sideline.
Graham, who was traded from the Saints after the 2014 season and returned this season, played only seven snaps against the Falcons, including the final offensive play, in what could be the 37-year-old’s final game. He has not addressed his status, although he posted a tribute to the Saints on X on Monday.
Also unclear is the future of Winston, whose contract is set to void this season. But the potential free agents echoed the sentiments of their teammates under contract, who all emphasized on social media and in interviews that the decision to get Williams a touchdown was a team decision and not just Winston going rogue.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara, defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, former tight end Benjamin Watson, current tight end Juwan Johnson, former wide receiver Lance Moore, safety Johnathan Abram and former running back Mark Ingram were among those who took to social media to defend Winston or the decision.
Jordan also was among those who supported Winston and the touchdown, but he didn’t specify a particular reason so many players felt compelled to show public support.
“If anything, if 10 players pop up, it’s just because that’s how much we care about each other as a locker room,” Jordan said. “For him to have to interview to explain himself about why he did it, it’s clear-cut why.
“He felt that Jamaal should’ve got a touchdown, and in my mind, I was like s—, we should’ve sent Jimmy in and got him that 90th touchdown for his legacy.”
Allen, who has a 24-26 overall record in his two stints as a head coach, said he does not believe the incident Sunday was a sign of a fractured locker room.
Allen publicly disagreed with the players’ decision Sunday and apologized to Falcons coach Arthur Smith, who was seen yelling at Allen after the game about the touchdown. Smith was fired by the Falcons later that night.
“What I will say is this, I’ll say that those players went out and played their tail off in the last five games of the season, and I’ve been on teams where that doesn’t happen,” Allen said Monday. “So no, I don’t believe there’s any fracture.”
Jordan, when asked whether he thought the late touchdown against Atlanta was a sign of a fractured team, said the media was bringing up the topic more than the players. He also said players have a large amount of responsibility on themselves when asked whether the team believed in Allen.
“I mean DA is our head coach. So as long as that is the same sentence, it’s going to be the same sentence. Of course we believe we’re going to get our things together,” Jordan said. “At the end of the day, it’s on the players.
“As much as DA puts a great game plan together, sometimes we don’t execute to the highest of our abilities and you see the flaws that happen in that. It’s a players’ game.”
Allen admitted Monday that there needed to be some adjustments to the team’s culture, although he did not specify whether that included major changes to the staff or roster.
“We’ve had a lot of success around here, and I think sometimes you can kind of get a little comfortable with that,” Allen said. “And so I just think we need to reevaluate what we need to do to win games at the level that we need to win games at. And I think that’ll be a big part of what we do this offseason.”
Offensive lineman James Hurst, who was signed in 2020, said any culture changes felt like a gradual shift over the years and not an abrupt turn.
“I think most of the things that were in place when I got here are still here,” Hurst said. “I think that’s the challenge of [GM] Mickey [Loomis], the challenge of DA and the challenge of the players to figure out what’s missing or what changed. Have we become too content? Are we taking things for granted? Those are the questions you have to ask yourself.”
Jordan echoed a similar sentiment Monday.
“I think you can always give more,” Jordan said. “You can’t say, ‘Yeah, we have great leadership, we have the right leaders,’ if we’re not in a playoff position right? And that’s happened back-to-back-to-back years. So whatever that is, if it starts with me, then I need to demand more. I need to give more, whatever that is.”