Payton suspended for a year

[peppy]

Wow, that is the harshest penalty I have seen the NFL come down with.

NFL fines New Orleans Saints for putting 'bounties' on opponents - CNN.com

For more on the bounty scandal, watch "Bounty Hunters" on CNN Presents at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Sunday.

(CNN) -- New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season and the team was fined $500,000 for operating a bounty program against opponents, under sweeping discipline announced by the NFL on Wednesday.

Under the program, the team paid bonuses for knocking opposing players out of a game.

Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the St. Louis Rams, was suspended indefinitely from the NFL, effective immediately, the league said. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will review Williams' status at the season and whether to reinstate him, the league said.

The team will also forfeit its second-round draft picks in 2012 and 2013.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis was suspended without pay for the first eight regular-season games of the 2012 season, the NFL said. Assistant Head Coach Joe Vitt was suspended without pay for the first six regular-season games, the league said.

One sports analyst, Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated, said the discipline is "historic."
Brees: Bounty issue a 'black eye'

"One of the reasons they could be so strong against the Saints was that there was a paper trail," Trotter said, referring to e-mails.

"I don't think other teams would be dumb enough to put it in writing," Trotter said of the bounty system. "I definitely believe they are trying to make an example of them."

The NFL is facing class-action lawsuits from former players who claimed that their efforts led to concussions, head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a dementia-like brain disease.

"The league has to be concerned about lawsuits," Trotter said.

The NFL investigation found the Saints had an "active bounty program" during the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons in which "bounty" payments were paid for "knock-outs" and "cart-offs" -- plays in which an opposing player had to leave the game, the league said in a statement. The bounties even identified specific players as targets, the league said.

The investigation found that the Saints showed "a deliberate effort to conceal the program's existence from league investigators, and a clear determination to maintain the program despite express direction from Saints ownership that it stop as well as ongoing inquiries from the league office," the NFL said.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the "pay-for-performance" program "undermined the integrity of the game."

The league found that Payton failed to supervise players and coaches, didn't inquire into the facts of the bounty program though he was aware of the league's inquiries, and encouraged "the false denials by instructing assistants to 'make sure our ducks are in a row,' " the NFL statement said.

Goodell described the Saints' violations of league rules "particularly unusual and egregious."

"When there is targeting of players for injury and cash rewards over a three-year period, the involvement of the coaching staff, and three years of denials and willful disrespect of the rules, a strong and lasting message must be sent that such conduct is totally unacceptable and has no place in the game," Goodell said.

"Beyond the clear and continuing violations of league rules, and lying to investigators, the bounty program is squarely contrary to the league's most important initiatives -- enhancing player health and safety and protecting the integrity of the game," the commissioner continued.

"Let me be clear. There is no place in the NFL for deliberately seeking to injure another player, let alone offering a reward for doing so," Goodell said.

[stomachmonkey]

I'm OK with it.

The NFL like the other sports leagues have been too soft with sanctions.

Maybe it's the start of a reversal.

[widebody911]

Maybe this will... knock some sense into them...

Yeah, I know where the door is...

[URY914]

Works for me.

[GH85Carrera]

He got off light.

Any player that participated should get double that.

It is 100% unacceptable behavior.

[Hawkeye's-911T]

Hockey coaches would never put 'bounties' on opposing players.

[sammyg2]

Wow, looks like the saints are now the pro version of USC

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Wow, looks like the saints are now the pro version of USC

They are both paid professionals. The Saints players just make more money and play on Sunday.

[dhoward]

Reggie Dunlop: I am personally placing a hundred-dollar bounty on the head of Tim McCracken. He's the head coach and chief punk on that Syracuse team.
Jim Carr: A bounty?
Reggie Dunlop: Yeah, a hundred bucks of my own money for the first of my guys who really nails that creep.
McGrath: Are you nuts? A bounty? We could all end up in the clinker for this. You can't put a bounty on a man's head.
Reggie Dunlop: Bullsht. I just did.
[Hangs up, Phone rings again]
Dave 'Killer' Carlson: Coach, I want that hundred dollars.
Reggie Dunlop: Ya gotta earn it, Killer.
Dave 'Killer' Carlson: My attitude's right.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Wow, looks like the saints are now the pro version of USC

And FSU, bobby bowden use to do it

[peppy]

I don't think the money was a big motivator, the fines from the NFL were a lot more than any bounty that was put up.

[jyl]

Why are the players immune from punishment? Because the league needs the games to be played?

[DonDavis]

The draft picks are a huge deal. 2nd round players are usually solid, franchise players. The Saints could feel that for as long as a decade.

The players aren't immune from punishment either. The Player's Union has to complete their investigation before they get their due. And they will. The Union has been thumping their chests over player safety for years and this flies in the face of that. Usually, the Union stands behind players and does what it can to insulate from penalties being too harsh. This time they're screwed. They can't protect the players from this BECAUSE it put players at risk beyond just playing the game.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

And FSU, bobby bowden use to do it

LOL, I tink youz guys misunderstood.
USC doesn't do stuff like the ain'ts did, they just get nailed with the largest penalties on record while other teams do the same or worse and only get a slap on the wrist.
Just like with the ain'ts.

Course they both had that reggie bush thing in common, co-inky-dink?

Oh shoot I forgot we're not supposed to use that B word around these parts, now I'm in trouble.

[jorian]

National Felons League. Not surprised. Look how quickly Michael Vick was welcomed back to the fold.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

LOL, I tink youz guys misunderstood.
USC doesn't do stuff like the ain'ts did, they just get nailed with the largest penalties on record while other teams do the same or worse and only get a slap on the wrist.
Just like with the ain'ts.

Course they both had that reggie bush thing in common, co-inky-dink?

Oh shoot I forgot we're not supposed to use that B word around these parts, now I'm in trouble.

Well, BB had names on a board in the locker room, when asked by a reporter what is was, he said " list of player to be taken out" and this game, by the end of the 1st half, most of the names on the list were out of the game. After seeing that I lost all respect for him..

[Baz]

I agree with Glenn - they got off very light.

The NFL [as usual] are not serious about enforcing league rules.

They should have at least taken back the Lombardi trophy. Now that.....would send a message.

[rattlsnak]

This is complete BS..

And yes I'm a saints fan.

[BReif61]

They should be glad it wasn't longer than it is.

Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely.

[Evans, Marv]

I'm wondering what kinds of law suits can result from players that got injured and claim it cut their careers short and cost them long term income. Seems to me that could affect the league, the teams, and specific players.