New Orleans Saints severely penalized by NFL for 'bounty' program
The NFL slammed the Saints with penalties Wednesday for a bounty program the team ran from 2009 to 2011 that, most significantly, paid bonuses for hits that knocked opponents out for all or part of a game. Coach Sean Payton was suspended for a full season without pay, beginning April 1, and general manager Mickey Loomis faces an 8-game suspension when the 2012 season begins, Commissioner Roger Goodell said.
In addition, assistant head coach and linebackers coach Joe Vitt was suspended for 6 games without pay, meaning the Saints coaching staff will be in shambles for the upcoming campaign.
Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the Rams, faces what Goodell labeled an "indefinite suspension," but it will last at least one full year because the commissioner said he will not review Williams' case until after the 2012 season.
The Saints were also stripped of second round draft picks this year and next, which means New Orleans will not have a selection in the 2012 draft until the third round. Goodell also fined the organization $500,000.
"We are all accountable and responsible for player health and safety and the integrity of the game," Goodell said in a statement. "We will not tolerate conduct or a culture that undermines those priorities. No one is above the game or the rules that govern it. Respect for the game and the people who participate in it will not be compromised."
A combination of elements made this matter particularly unusual and egregious," Goodell continued. "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."
The punishments come against a backdrop of looming litigation. A growing number of players have filed lawsuits against the NFL and various equipment makers, alleging the parties were insufficiently diligent in making player safety a priority. Goodell has made it clear he wants player safety to be a hallmark of his time as commissioner, pushing for rules changes that protect players on the field and levying heavy fines against players for hits ruled too savage.
New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, left, and Coach Sean Payton, have been punished by the NFL.The report Goodell and the league issued on the Saints March 2 could be seen as another important step in that campaign. In addition, there was widespread speculation the penalties imposed on New Orleans would be severe as the league looked to send a message.
Since March 2 several players came forward to say "pay for performance" systems were far from unheard of in the NFL, although all of them drew a distinction between bonuses for high-impact plays like interceptions or recovered fumbles and plays seeking to injure an opponent.
It was that latter element the NFL alleged comprised part of the Saints' operations and thus made it particularly malevolent. Although the league carefully guarded its evidence, Goodell and NFL officials claim to have sorted through some 18,000 documents, whose veracity was established by "forensic experts," and "multiple independent sources."
That investigation proved, most tellingly, that there was a lack of institutional control in New Orleans. Tuesday's penalties also fall under the "conduct detrimental" standard that gives the commissioner wide latitude.
In addition, assistant head coach and linebackers coach Joe Vitt was suspended for 6 games without pay, meaning the Saints coaching staff will be in shambles for the upcoming campaign.
Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the Rams, faces what Goodell labeled an "indefinite suspension," but it will last at least one full year because the commissioner said he will not review Williams' case until after the 2012 season.
The Saints were also stripped of second round draft picks this year and next, which means New Orleans will not have a selection in the 2012 draft until the third round. Goodell also fined the organization $500,000.
"We are all accountable and responsible for player health and safety and the integrity of the game," Goodell said in a statement. "We will not tolerate conduct or a culture that undermines those priorities. No one is above the game or the rules that govern it. Respect for the game and the people who participate in it will not be compromised."
A combination of elements made this matter particularly unusual and egregious," Goodell continued. "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."
The punishments come against a backdrop of looming litigation. A growing number of players have filed lawsuits against the NFL and various equipment makers, alleging the parties were insufficiently diligent in making player safety a priority. Goodell has made it clear he wants player safety to be a hallmark of his time as commissioner, pushing for rules changes that protect players on the field and levying heavy fines against players for hits ruled too savage.
New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, left, and Coach Sean Payton, have been punished by the NFL.Since March 2 several players came forward to say "pay for performance" systems were far from unheard of in the NFL, although all of them drew a distinction between bonuses for high-impact plays like interceptions or recovered fumbles and plays seeking to injure an opponent.
It was that latter element the NFL alleged comprised part of the Saints' operations and thus made it particularly malevolent. Although the league carefully guarded its evidence, Goodell and NFL officials claim to have sorted through some 18,000 documents, whose veracity was established by "forensic experts," and "multiple independent sources."
That investigation proved, most tellingly, that there was a lack of institutional control in New Orleans. Tuesday's penalties also fall under the "conduct detrimental" standard that gives the commissioner wide latitude.
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