Sean Payton Says He Damaged Fire Alarm in Locker Room Before Saints vs. Bengals

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTFeatured ColumnistNovember 12, 2018

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton speaks to reporters after winning their NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Frank Victores)

Frank Victores/Associated Press

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was fed up with a fire alarm before the team's 51-14 dismantling of the Cincinnati Bengals, so he took matters into his own hand.

Mike Triplett of ESPN.com passed along the story:

Mike Triplett @MikeTriplett
Sean Payton confirmed that he damaged a fire alarm in the Saints locker room before Sunday's game. Said 'destroyed' would be sensational. But he wanted to make it stop, will gladly pay the repair cost and has respect for the Bengals and Brown family.

According to Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com, a fire alarm rang throughout Paul Brown Stadium for about 15 minutes ahead of Sunday's game. Payton, annoyed with the noise and looking to keep his team focused, then "smashed" the alarm.

Michael DeMocker @MichaelDeMocker
The fire alarm is going off at Paul Brown Stadium. The Saints must be walking into the building. https://t.co/B2nXiYAOwL

"I just needed the noise to stop," Payton said, per Katzenstein.

After the game, the Bengals said they were looking into the matter and had contacted the authorities. They might have been better off had the alarms sounded during the game, however. It might have temporarily halted the shellacking they took against the Saints.