New Orleans Saints ran an illegal bounty against opposing players from 2009-2011

[The Bearded One]

The big deal is, the other teams don't get caught. Simple fact of the matter is, there are rules in place against this sort of thing, and even if every team in the league is doing it, anyone who gets caught should and will face consequences for it.

Plus, I don't doubt that every team in the league encourages punishing the other team as physically as possible, but I'm not convinced that it occurs to this extent, with this degree of structure and order and financial organization. Fair or not, Goodell is going to make an example out of them.

I agree since they got caught they should be punished since this goes against Goodell's policies. I just didn't understand the outrage people were seeming to feel over it.

 

[PlayTheGame]

No way in hell can they force the Rams to fire Gregg Williams. The Rams did nothing wrong, why should they suffer with a drastic coaching change?

What they SHOULD do, however, is fine Gregg Williams 2/3 of his pay this season. As for the Saints, I saw an interesting thought on ProFootballTalk.com that Goodell should (or could) take away their franchise tag. The Saints cannot lose the first round pick this year, since they do not have it. I wouldn't be surprised if they lose their 2013 1st round pick AND their franchise tag (which sucks for them since the tag would go on Drew Brees).

This is just as bad as Spygate back in 2007, and that cost them their first round pick. As such the same fate is just as fair.

Oh, yes they can. They should and I wouldn't be surprised if they do. He doesn't deserve to be in the league, at least indefinitely.

 

[justinsayne]

Then you may as well get rid of just about every defensive player and/or coach in the NFL, because almost every defense in the NFL has some sort of "bounty pool" going on in their locker room.

I think the term "bounty" is what seems to be bothering most people here, perhaps if they changed what they call it to something more like "Big hit incentive pool" people wouldn't have near as much of a problem with this.

 

[PlayTheGame]

How do you know?

 

[justinsayne]

Players both retired an active are constantly coming out of the woodwork talking about their locker room bounty pools, this shit isn't a secret. The fact that NFL has decided now out of nowhere to crack down on it & has decided to make an example of with the Saints of all teams is kinda pathetic. If they really wanted to crack down on Bounty's they should look at the Bal/Pit, & make an example of those teams, not a team that has done as much as the Saints have at rebuilding an entire community & providing that community with hope.

 

[PlayTheGame]

Either way, concrete evidence has come out about the Saints, and it's against league rules.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Players both retired an active are constantly coming out of the woodwork talking about their locker room bounty pools, this shit isn't a secret. The fact that NFL has decided now out of nowhere to crack down on it & has decided to make an example of with the Saints of all teams is kinda pathetic. If they really wanted to crack down on Bounty's they should look at the Bal/Pit, & make an example of those teams, not a team that has done as much as the Saints have at rebuilding an entire community & providing that community with hope.

But there's a big difference between a handful of guys organizing locker room bounty pools, and a team organized, structured pool, with financial incentives being offered not by other guys, but by team officials. Especially when it is against the rules. It's no excuse to suggest it's OK, just because everyone else is doing it. And I don't buy the fact that the Saints should get a free pass, just because of this "rebuilding a community" or "providing hope" nonsense. I don't doubt that the Saints have probably been a therapeutic influence on a decimated city of New Orleans, but that doesn't give them a free pass to break the rules. Especially rules of this nature in a league which is publicly trying to crack down on such things as concussions.

 

[Ty Burna]

There's a difference between playing physical and hitting hard, and going out to intentionally injure players. This is what this bounty system was about, knocking players out of the game and injuring them. There is no room in the game for intentionally trying to take out someone's knee. Great, you get $1,500 for destroying someone's knee. That player you just took out may not ever play again because of your actions.

These players that are coming out and saying there was a bounty system on other teams, guess who the defensive coordinator was? Gregg Williams. I haven't seen anyone not associated with him talking about theirs, if there was I apologize. So here we have a guy that has been encouraging a system and environment where it's ok to go out and intentionally injure your opponents. He needs to be banned from the league permanently, or at least for quite some time since he was the ring leader. We also have players saying that they've never seen a bounty system in place with any teams they been with, so I don't buy this whole "Every team does it" excuse. It's piss poor as it is. If everyone smokes crack, and you smoke crack, yet you get busted by the police, the excuse "well everyone smokes crack" doesn't exactly fly with them now does it?

I'm sure players have a pool where they want to encourage each other to play well, such as getting paid for an interception, special teams tackle, or sack, I don't have a problem with that. If that's what it takes to motivate some players into playing better, so be it. But to run a system based around hurting opponents intentionally to the point they're carted off? Inexcusable. So the Saints are going to get crushed by these penalties, and any sort of bounty system, whether to hurt people or just for making plays, are going to get shut down and every organization will make sure of it. Because not only are the Saints going to get hit by the NFL, they may be getting investigated on by the federal government since some of these games took place out of state and never claimed tax wise so tax evasion charges are possible. Not to mention the possibility of assault and battery charges levied against Saints players.

There's a lot more to this then just what's on the surface.

 

[PlayTheGame]

There's a difference between playing physical and hitting hard, and going out to intentionally injure players. This is what this bounty system was about, knocking players out of the game and injuring them. There is no room in the game for intentionally trying to take out someone's knee. Great, you get $1,500 for destroying someone's knee. That player you just took out may not ever play again because of your actions.

These players that are coming out and saying there was a bounty system on other teams, guess who the defensive coordinator was? Gregg Williams. I haven't seen anyone not associated with him talking about theirs, if there was I apologize. So here we have a guy that has been encouraging a system and environment where it's ok to go out and intentionally injure your opponents. He needs to be banned from the league permanently, or at least for quite some time since he was the ring leader. We also have players saying that they've never seen a bounty system in place with any teams they been with, so I don't buy this whole "Every team does it" excuse. It's piss poor as it is. If everyone smokes crack, and you smoke crack, yet you get busted by the police, the excuse "well everyone smokes crack" doesn't exactly fly with them now does it?

I'm sure players have a pool where they want to encourage each other to play well, such as getting paid for an interception, special teams tackle, or sack, I don't have a problem with that. If that's what it takes to motivate some players into playing better, so be it. But to run a system based around hurting opponents intentionally to the point they're carted off? Inexcusable. So the Saints are going to get crushed by these penalties, and any sort of bounty system, whether to hurt people or just for making plays, are going to get shut down and every organization will make sure of it. Because not only are the Saints going to get hit by the NFL, they may be getting investigated on by the federal government since some of these games took place out of state and never claimed tax wise so tax evasion charges are possible. Not to mention the possibility of assault and battery charges levied against Saints players.

There's a lot more to this then just what's on the surface.

Thank you, that's exactly right, someone else who understands. He should no longer be allowed to coach in the league, at least indefinitely. Anyone trying to argue against that is simply ridiculous.

 

[Davi323]

The funny thing is, two years ago, Brett Favre complained that Saints players were actively trying to take him out, and was laughed at. Brett doesn't look so crazy anymore, does he?

 

[jmt225]

Show me where Favre complained?

He was interviewed as soon as this news broke and here's what he had to say:

I'm not pissed. It's football. I don't think anything less of those guys. Said or unsaid, guys do it anyway. If they can drill you and get you out, they will.

http://content.usatoday.com/communi...nts-bounty-system-its-football/1#.T1QsLVsm0pk

The sad part is that the media is just like Davi in spewing that kind of shit around, and the sheep just follow every word since it doesn't involve their team.

 

[The Crock]

Yeah, it's "wrong," but I don't give a shit. Just like the interview JMT just posted, "said or unsaid," this stuff goes on.

 

[justinsayne]

You a defense was trying to hit an opposing teams QB? I'm shocked, I mean it's not like that's the WHOLE FUCKING REASON THEY ARE ON THE GODDAMN FIELD IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Seriously some of the shit people are spewing is just flat out fucking stupid.