Colts Refute Report of Recent Interest in Saints Sean Payton

According to Fox 59/CBS 4’s Mike Chappell, the Indianapolis Colts have refuted a report by CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora earlier on Sunday that the team expressed interest in New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton recently this offseason.

Specifically, Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward spoke to Chappell and vehemently denied the report:

"“It’s totally fictitious,’’ said Ward via Chappell. “This is the age of false information. It’s believable.”“I told him (La Canfora) it was BS,” added Ward. “And you can quote me on that.”“I got a call from someone who said he was an associate of Sean Payton. He asked if we were interested in talking and I said ‘No.’ That was it.’’"

It’s worth noting that La Canfora even acknowledged that he had spoken to Ward and that the Colts chief operating officer had denied the report even earlier:

Given how strongly the Colts have refuted this report, it’s starting to sound like the interest was initiated by Payton’s representation–not the Colts. Perhaps there were preliminary discussions, but it doesn’t appear as though those talks went very far.

It is interesting though the extent that the Colts have denied this report, but there wasn’t the same sort of opposition offered with the Jon Gruden report earlier this offseason.

Does that mean the Gruden report was indeed true?

Next: Report: Colts Tried Trading for Saints Head Coach Sean Payton

It’s hard to say, but right now, we do know that team owner Jim Irsay has issued a vote of confidence for Chuck Pagano by saying, ‘He’s our coach for 2017,” during Saturday’s press conference.

Thus, it appears as though Pagano will once again be manning the sidelines for the Colts come next season.