Saints get punished

[SCBusPilot 72]

Uh-oh...

The NFL on Wednesday levied one of the harshest penalties in league history in punishing the New Orleans Saints for running an illegal bounty system targeting opposing offense players.

The NFL disciplined multiple members of the Saints organization for their participation or connection with the bounty system that was run by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from 2009-11. Williams was suspended indefinitely. Saints head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season. General manager Mickey Loomis is suspended for the first eight games and linebackers/assistant head coach Joe Vitt for the first six.

In addition, the Saints were fined $500,000 and stripped of second-round draft choices in the 2012 and 2013 drafts. The Saints already didn’t have a first-round pick in the draft this April because they dealt it to New England last year for the chance to select running back Mark Ingram.

The Saints, as well as those suspended, can appeal the ruling to the NFL.

The NFL claims Payton and Loomis had knowledge of the bounty system run by Williams but failed to take steps to stop them.

FOXSports.com NFL insider Jay Glazer said the Saints initially planned to name Vitt as their interim head coach in case of a Payton suspension. That plan will now be reassessed in light of the Vitt suspension.

The penalties are the most severe and wide-ranging against a team since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell disciplined the New England Patriots for the “Spygate” scandal of 2007.

In early March, the NFL announced findings of a lengthy investigation that revealed activities strictly barred by the league. Saints players and others within the franchise including Williams contributed to a bounty pool that reached as much as $50,000.

Players were rewarded $1,500 for what were described as “knockout” hits and $1,000 for “cart-offs” (i.e. an injured opponent being taken off the field on a medical cart). The payoff amounts were doubled or tripled during the postseason.

Sports Illustrated first reported that Saints linebacker Jon Vilma offered a $10,000 reward to any teammate who could drive Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the NFC championship game in January 2010. Favre played the entire game but was the victim of numerous borderline hits, including a high-low shot by defensive linemen Bobby McCray and Remi Ayodele that caused a serious ankle injury. Defensive end Anthony Hargrove also was flagged and fined by the NFL for a late hit on Favre.

BOUNTY ON WARNER?

The former Cardinals QB was injured in a 2010 playoff game against the Saints.

The bounty system flies in the face of the player safety initiatives Goodell has instituted during his six-year tenure as NFL commissioner.

“It is our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of our game,” Goodell said in a statement released earlier this month. “This type of conduct will not be tolerated. We have made significant progress in changing the culture with respect to player safety and we are not going to relent. We have more work to do and we will do it.”

The NFL initially began investigating the Saints in the fall of 2010 when allegations were made that New Orleans players were targeting Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner during an early season matchup. Initially unable to prove a bounty system existed, the NFL reopened its inquiry after new information surfaced during the 2011 season. The final report measured 50,000 pages with internal Saints emails part of the 18,000 documents submitted.

When news of the scandal surfaced, players on other teams that Williams coached admitted that similar bounty programs existed to varying degrees. Williams left the Saints at the end of the 2011 season to become defensive coordinator in St. Louis. The Rams have taken no official action against Williams while awaiting the NFL’s announcement of sanctions.

An NFL coach since 1990 at levels ranging from defensive assistant to Buffalo Bills head coach (2001-03), Williams was not forthcoming when NFL investigators questioned him about the existence of the bounty program.

[RunInRed 16,624]

Wow, that's a pretty heavy smack down.

[WarTiger 3,941]

you really think that's a harsh punishment? I do like the suspension of Payton for an entire season, and will be surprised if he actually returns to coach the saints at all. However, as a whole this "punishment" was pretty weak. $500,000 is petty cash for an NFL franchise. They won't even miss that money. For what they did, it should have been much worse. In addition to the Payton suspension, they should have been stripped of ALL draft picks for 2-3 years AND suspended them from the playoffs for those 2-3 years. This is mainly because of the arrogance of the franchise, in that the NFL knew about this and told them to stop it and they had a bammer like attitude that they were above the law and still didn't stop. That's why I feel the punishment should have been much worse.

[BZ770 2]

Look I know I live on the Gulf coast and work in Pascagoula but the Saints getting the hammer today was the talk of everywhere I went today. I personally think they got screwed hard. I didn't see it coming.

[penguin149 391]

$1000 to $1500 for a bounty? These guys make what: $4,000,000 a year? That would be like a guy making $50,000 a year putting his job on the line for $20!!!

[Duder 238]

Look I know I live on the Gulf coast and work in Pascagoula but the Saints getting the hammer today was the talk of everywhere I went today. I personally think they got screwed hard. I didn't see it coming.

The League did what they needed to do. They're making an example out of them. Not only did they sponsor the bounty program but also lied when questioned.

[banditmwp 713]

I, too, live on the gulf coast, and I absolutely despise the Saints. However, without my black and gold glasses, I clearly saw this coming.

2 years of denials kind of sealed the deal IMO

[E'Town4Bama 111]

Good thing the NFL doesn't have the death penalty.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

How times change. Back when the Eagles and the Cowboys openly put bounties on each other it was used by the networks and league to promote the game

[cptau 169]

After the coaching suspensions, losing a second round draft pick for 2 years seems like nothing as was the fine,

Dismissing the head coach that allowed this should have been the requirement which may happen anyway. The players involved should be fined and suspended too. If the nfl is serious about protecting players on the field, they have no choice.

If it was the NCAA handing out the penalties the Saints would be vacating wins and returning trophies and the rings too.

I wonder if there could be civil or criminal charges brought against these coaches and players? The nfl would just love that. And congress could stick its nose into this too. They were so concerned with drug use in MLB, the should care about the NFL too.

[E'Town4Bama 111]

After the coaching suspensions, losing a second round draft pick for 2 years seems like nothing as was the fine,

Dismissing the head coach that allowed this should have been the requirement which may happen anyway. The players involved should be fined and suspended too. If the nfl is serious about protecting players on the field, they have no choice.

If it was the NCAA handing out the penalties the Saints would be vacating wins and returning trophies and the rings too.

I wonder if there could be civil or criminal charges brought against these coaches and players? The nfl would just love that. And congress could stick its nose into this too. They were so concerned with drug use in MLB, the should care about the NFL too.

I don't think we need the government involved with this. Every time the government gets involved with something, they screw it up.

[WarTiger 3,941]

After the coaching suspensions, losing a second round draft pick for 2 years seems like nothing as was the fine,

Dismissing the head coach that allowed this should have been the requirement which may happen anyway. The players involved should be fined and suspended too. If the nfl is serious about protecting players on the field, they have no choice.

If it was the NCAA handing out the penalties the Saints would be vacating wins and returning trophies and the rings too.

I wonder if there could be civil or criminal charges brought against these coaches and players? The nfl would just love that. And congress could stick its nose into this too. They were so concerned with drug use in MLB, the should care about the NFL too.

yep. read my previous post about. The aint's got of EASY here....BIG TIME....It should have been MUCH WORSE...

[TrumanCrockett 0]

After the coaching suspensions, losing a second round draft pick for 2 years seems like nothing as was the fine,

Dismissing the head coach that allowed this should have been the requirement which may happen anyway. The players involved should be fined and suspended too. If the nfl is serious about protecting players on the field, they have no choice.

If it was the NCAA handing out the penalties the Saints would be vacating wins and returning trophies and the rings too.

I wonder if there could be civil or criminal charges brought against these coaches and players? The nfl would just love that. And congress could stick its nose into this too. They were so concerned with drug use in MLB, the should care about the NFL too.

I don't think we need the government involved with this. Every time the government gets involved with something, they screw it up.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/22/senator-calls-hearing-on-bounties/

Too late

[penguin149 391]

The Government wants in on every other part of your life, so why not this?! But I digress...I don't want this thread to end up in the "Poliically Speaking" forum!

[E'Town4Bama 111]

That

After the coaching suspensions, losing a second round draft pick for 2 years seems like nothing as was the fine,

Dismissing the head coach that allowed this should have been the requirement which may happen anyway. The players involved should be fined and suspended too. If the nfl is serious about protecting players on the field, they have no choice.

If it was the NCAA handing out the penalties the Saints would be vacating wins and returning trophies and the rings too.

I wonder if there could be civil or criminal charges brought against these coaches and players? The nfl would just love that. And congress could stick its nose into this too. They were so concerned with drug use in MLB, the should care about the NFL too.

I don't think we need the government involved with this. Every time the government gets involved with something, they screw it up.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/22/senator-calls-hearing-on-bounties/

Too late

That makes me want to throw up.

[AUn Collierville 1]

I wonder how many NFL teams have/had similar bounties over the last couple of years. I would be surprised if the Saints are the only one, but they should have been smart enough to stop when the league told them to.

The first bounties I remember were associated with the Raiders in 70's. I doubt they went away and suddenly resurfaced 40 years later. Goodell is making an example of the Saints to try to put a stop to it.

[WarTiger 3,941]

I wonder how many NFL teams have/had similar bounties over the last couple of years. I would be surprised if the Saints are the only one, but they should have been smart enough to stop when the league told them to.

The first bounties I remember were associated with the Raiders in 70's. I doubt they went away and suddenly resurfaced 40 years later. Goodell is making an example of the Saints to try to put a stop to it.

Really? That punishment is making an example out of them? Wow. Seems if the NFL wanted to make an example out of them on this issue they would have given them more than a slap on the wrist. The Aint's got off WAY EASY here, and how people think this punishment was so detrimental and severe is beyond me. It certainly was NOT even remotely severe in any way.

[The Freak 2,529]

I wonder how many NFL teams have/had similar bounties over the last couple of years. I would be surprised if the Saints are the only one, but they should have been smart enough to stop when the league told them to.

The first bounties I remember were associated with the Raiders in 70's. I doubt they went away and suddenly resurfaced 40 years later. Goodell is making an example of the Saints to try to put a stop to it.

Really? That punishment is making an example out of them? Wow. Seems if the NFL wanted to make an example out of them on this issue they would have given them more than a slap on the wrist. The Aint's got off WAY EASY here, and how people think this punishment was so detrimental and severe is beyond me. It certainly was NOT even remotely severe in any way.

Sean Payton's suspension and loss of ~ $7 million will do more than anything else. Most other head coaches aren't going to risk that.

[cptau 169]

Have they said how they paid these New Orleans players their bounty awards? If it was cash, did they pay taxes on it?

[WarTiger 3,941]

I wonder how many NFL teams have/had similar bounties over the last couple of years. I would be surprised if the Saints are the only one, but they should have been smart enough to stop when the league told them to.

The first bounties I remember were associated with the Raiders in 70's. I doubt they went away and suddenly resurfaced 40 years later. Goodell is making an example of the Saints to try to put a stop to it.

Really? That punishment is making an example out of them? Wow. Seems if the NFL wanted to make an example out of them on this issue they would have given them more than a slap on the wrist. The Aint's got off WAY EASY here, and how people think this punishment was so detrimental and severe is beyond me. It certainly was NOT even remotely severe in any way.

Sean Payton's suspension and loss of ~ $7 million will do more than anything else. Most other head coaches aren't going to risk that.

Which speaks alone to two things. 1. Payton's incredible STUPIDITY. 2. His incredible arrogance to think he's above the law. Like I said earlier in the thread, I won't be at all surprised if payton never coaches the saints again.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,394]

Current rumor is that Bill Parcells may serve as interim coach.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7738693/sean-payton-bill-parcells-discuss-new-orleans-saints-job-sources-say

[AUn Collierville 1]

I wonder how many NFL teams have/had similar bounties over the last couple of years. I would be surprised if the Saints are the only one, but they should have been smart enough to stop when the league told them to.

The first bounties I remember were associated with the Raiders in 70's. I doubt they went away and suddenly resurfaced 40 years later. Goodell is making an example of the Saints to try to put a stop to it.

Really? That punishment is making an example out of them? Wow. Seems if the NFL wanted to make an example out of them on this issue they would have given them more than a slap on the wrist. The Aint's got off WAY EASY here, and how people think this punishment was so detrimental and severe is beyond me. It certainly was NOT even remotely severe in any way.

I am not aware of any penalty levied by the NFL that was more severe.

[WarTiger 3,941]

I wonder how many NFL teams have/had similar bounties over the last couple of years. I would be surprised if the Saints are the only one, but they should have been smart enough to stop when the league told them to.

The first bounties I remember were associated with the Raiders in 70's. I doubt they went away and suddenly resurfaced 40 years later. Goodell is making an example of the Saints to try to put a stop to it.

Really? That punishment is making an example out of them? Wow. Seems if the NFL wanted to make an example out of them on this issue they would have given them more than a slap on the wrist. The Aint's got off WAY EASY here, and how people think this punishment was so detrimental and severe is beyond me. It certainly was NOT even remotely severe in any way.

I am not aware of any penalty levied by the NFL that was more severe.

I never spoke about any other penalties the nfl has handed down in the past. Not sure where you picked that up to justify your comment. What exactly was so severe about this penalty? Coach being suspended for a year? big deal, he isn't going to hurt for money. If he is because of this, then see that stupidity comment made in an earlier post. It remains to be seen what impact his suspension has on the organization. Was it the $500,000 fine that made this severe? Please, $500,000 is petty cash to an NFL franchise. They won't even miss that money. Wait, was it the 2 draft picks they were stripped of that make this severe? The Aint's have made more stupid draft decisions on their own in the past that this is just laughable. Even putting all these penalties together amounts to nothing more than a slap on the wrist. There is NOTHING about this penalty that I see that qualifies it as a SEVERE punishment.

If the nfl wanted to put a stop to this and send a clear message, they would have really dropped the hammer on this franchise and actually punished them in a way that it actually affects them.. They should have taken all draft picks away for 2-3 years, instituted a no trade policy on the franchise and suspended them from the playoffs for 2-3 years. Now, THAT would get their attention. This slap on the wrist does nothing.

[AUn Collierville 1]

I wonder how many NFL teams have/had similar bounties over the last couple of years. I would be surprised if the Saints are the only one, but they should have been smart enough to stop when the league told them to.

The first bounties I remember were associated with the Raiders in 70's. I doubt they went away and suddenly resurfaced 40 years later. Goodell is making an example of the Saints to try to put a stop to it.

Really? That punishment is making an example out of them? Wow. Seems if the NFL wanted to make an example out of them on this issue they would have given them more than a slap on the wrist. The Aint's got off WAY EASY here, and how people think this punishment was so detrimental and severe is beyond me. It certainly was NOT even remotely severe in any way.

I am not aware of any penalty levied by the NFL that was more severe.

I never spoke about any other penalties the nfl has handed down in the past. Not sure where you picked that up to justify your comment. What exactly was so severe about this penalty? Coach being suspended for a year? big deal, he isn't going to hurt for money. If he is because of this, then see that stupidity comment made in an earlier post. It remains to be seen what impact his suspension has on the organization. Was it the $500,000 fine that made this severe? Please, $500,000 is petty cash to an NFL franchise. They won't even miss that money. Wait, was it the 2 draft picks they were stripped of that make this severe? The Aint's have made more stupid draft decisions on their own in the past that this is just laughable. Even putting all these penalties together amounts to nothing more than a slap on the wrist. There is NOTHING about this penalty that I see that qualifies it as a SEVERE punishment.

If the nfl wanted to put a stop to this and send a clear message, they would have really dropped the hammer on this franchise and actually punished them in a way that it actually affects them.. They should have taken all draft picks away for 2-3 years, instituted a no trade policy on the franchise and suspended them from the playoffs for 2-3 years. Now, THAT would get their attention. This slap on the wrist does nothing.

I was merely stating that the penalties levied on the Saints are the most severe in NFL history. No coach has ever been suspended for a single game, much less an entire season. Losing the head coach, who in this case runs the offense, for a year, losing the GM for eight games, and losing the assistant to the head coach for six games will obviously be detrimental to the team's on-field performance. Time will tell, but I doubt they make the playoffs for the next couple of years, especially if player suspensions come next.

I agree the financial impact of the fine and Payton losing his salary for a year are nothing. Poor performance by the team, empty seats in the Superdome, and missing the playoffs will have more impact on the franchise and the owner. The NFL does not want a long-term negative impact because they are a business and they need the franchise to be successful.

BTW, why do you hate the Saints so much?

[SLAG-91 1,498]

I wonder how many NFL teams have/had similar bounties over the last couple of years. I would be surprised if the Saints are the only one, but they should have been smart enough to stop when the league told them to.

The first bounties I remember were associated with the Raiders in 70's. I doubt they went away and suddenly resurfaced 40 years later. Goodell is making an example of the Saints to try to put a stop to it.

I will add "and not try to cover it up when the NFL gumshoes start sniffing around and asking questions" to the part in bold. The crime is bad enough, the cover-up probably just pissed off Goodell even more.

I'll be interested to see what happens to the players who were in on it. Paul Hornung and Alex Karras were suspended for the 1963 season for betting on NFL games (different commish, of course)...some of the more heavily involved players could be looking at something about that serious.

The folks that, in retrospect, should be feeling like they got off easy were the Patriots back in 2007...Spygate cost them some $$$ and one 1st-round pick...no suspensions, nothing. All they did was, well, cheat.