Shawn Payton

The Detroit Lions fan who tried to stop a Saints' scoring binge by calling bomb threats into the Superdome felt the roar of justice today. Shawn Payton (no relation) was arrested by the FBI in his hometown of Jackson, Mich., on charges of making threatening phone calls, and later appeared in court. According to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office, the 34-year-old called a reception desk at the Superdome at 9:15 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. during the Saints-Lions wild card playoff game on Jan. 7. 

On the first call, Payton said there was a bomb in the building. During the second call, he said, "Hi, I want you to relay a message to the sideline, if your stupid Southern team keeps winning, there will be reper...severe consequences, okay?" The stadium, filled to capacity with more than 70,000 fans, was not evacuated.

The FBI later traced the call to be Payton, according to the information from Letten's office. Payton was released on bond and is due in U.S. District Court in New Orleans on Feb. 14. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Payton already publicly admitted that he called in the threats Friday to Da Paper.