One NFL Coach is Installing a 'Scrambler' to Block Pregame Social Media Use in Locker Room

Sean Payton, the New Orleans Saints’ head coach, has a plan to make sure his stars don’t harm the team on social media a la Antonio Brown.

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Sean Payton, the New Orleans Saints’ head coach, has a plan to make sure his stars don’t harm the team on social media a la Antonio Brown. Payton is putting preventative measures in place to make sure he doesn’t become the next Mike Tomlin.

So, how’s he going to do it? Payton is going to add a “simple scrambler” to the team’s locker room to ensure players stay off social media before kickoff, per his appearance on Tiki and Tierney on CBS Sports radio.

"It's not a violation of your freedom," Payton said.

The coach said he still wants his players to listen to music before the game (so Lil Wayne will still be bumping in the Saints' locker room), but he’s not going to risk any live-streaming.

Brown was infamously caught recording a Facebook Live video that captured his coach, Tomlin, calling the New England Patriots “a**holes.”

Payton was asked how he would have handled the situation.

"It's a lot easier to handle if it's a third-string tight end. It's much more difficult to handle when it's one of your top players," Payton said. "But that being said, I'd have been pissed. Look, corporate America is dealing with this same issue. In the work world, employees at their desk, how much time are they spending on social media? Close to 35, 40 percent of the time?"

Payton just finished his 11th year at the helm of the Saints, making him the fourth most tenured coach in the league (behind Bill Belichick, Marvin Lewis, and Mike McCarthy). The Saints went 7-9 this year.

Who knows what could happen next year without the distraction of pre-game Gram scrolling?

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