Photo by Brian McGiunness
METAIRIE, La. – Everyone knew that Jerry McGuinness was a die-hard Saints fan, but his family was shocked by a list they found in his wallet after he passed away recently.
The list, carefully printed by hand on a Snoopy notepad, details every official involved in the infamous “no call” NFC Championship game that saw the Saints lose to the Los Angeles Rams after a missed pass interference call.
The names of the two officials who were closest to the missed call have small check marks printed next to them.
Jerry McGuinness’ son Brian McGuinness posted a picture of the list on Facebook, creating a moment of levity for those still rocked by the loss.
“So, it has been a tough week, but we have also had some laughs, and here is the best one,” Brian wrote. “This was found in my dad’s wallet. I don’t know what he was planning to do with this hand-written list of the officials from the Saints-Rams NFC Championship game, but I think we can all agree that Jerry McGuinness bled black and gold.”
Bemused comments from people who knew Jerry began pouring in.
“What an amazing man,” Carl Meier commented. “He will be missed by everyone except those guys on that list. Each one of them must be breathing a sigh of relief right now.”
“I’m thinking it was like Arya Stark’s list,” Rob Marus wrote.
Brian McGuinness is quick to point out that it is extremely unlikely that his father, a devout Catholic who attended mass every Sunday, would ever want to harm anyone, regardless of their part in that infamous game.
“My dad was not a real nefarious person,” Brian said. “It’s funny to think about this quiet guy who was a sports nut having this thing in his wallet. But he certainly held a grudge, like so many other people did after that game.”
