New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson went directly to the top to get the NFL to reverse its decision on a hefty fine that would have cost the organization and some of its more notable members more than half a million dollars, Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Earlier this week, the NFL rescinded all fines stemming from what it alleged to be a fake injury by Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in December. The fines — against Jordan, coaches Dennis Allen and Ryan Nielsen and the Saints organization — totaled $550,000.

According to a league source, the Saints owner issued a strongly worded letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell denying any wrongdoing by the organization. That Benson was involved at all was unusual, as these appeals are usually conducted by legal counsel.

In essence, Benson’s letter stated that Jordan, the coaches and the team’s medical personnel properly followed all the health and safety protocols in place, and that the Saints were clearly never looking for a competitive advantage by stopping the play to attend to Jordan’s injury.

The league recently held a hearing in which members of the Saints’ athletic training and coaching staffs were present, according to a league source. It was after this hearing the league decided not to impose the heavy fines.

The alleged fake injury occurred shortly after the Buccaneers gained 7 yards on a third-and-17 play. The Saints were leading 16-3 with about seven minutes remaining in the game, and the Buccaneers were facing a fourth-and-10 from their own 25-yard line.

Jordan said he initially thought he’d suffered a sprained ankle, and that he tried to get off the field before the staff instructed him to get down so he could be checked on — a fairly common procedure.

The Buccaneers eventually punted after the stoppage.

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