OT: ESPN Radio reporting Sean Payton suspended for the year.
March 21st, 2012 at 12:57 PM ^
to the DC or players participating and funding the bounties?
March 21st, 2012 at 12:58 PM ^
Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely, which means at least 1 year from what I saw in an Adam Schefter tweet.
I'm going to have to give in and get a Twitter, just so I don't ask questions that are apparently common knowledge.
ESPN wasn't clear on the details yet if that makes you feel any better. They weren't sure if they lost first or second round picks.
March 21st, 2012 at 12:58 PM ^
shoulda been first round picks, but that's pretty good
edit: that's a pretty good way to deal with the coach and organization, but there should be more coming for the others. (also, i say first round picks because they were trying to injure starters and star players, guys with the most value to their teams, etc.)
It could not have been first rounders seeing as the Saints already traded their 1st round pick this year to New England otherwise it probably would have been. Hopefully the Saints man up and offer Brees a release if he wants it
I highly doubt Mr. Brees didnt not know what was going on, he can say that he didnt all he wants but its just like the whole steroids thing in baseball; you know, you just dont want to know so you look the other way.
There is simply no way this was going on in the Saints organization without Brees knowing. Because Brees failed to step in and stop these horrendous acts, I think he should be given the JoePa treatment.
I hope you meant the JoePa treatment to the extent that it is warranted, unless you mean that the Saints should start polling their fans about naming their stadium after Brees... Because grown men being mean to other grown men does not equate to the Penn State saga.
The Saints troubles are so miniscule compared to PSU they are not even on the same chart.
You have to see the parallel here. People knew what was going on and didn't step in to stop it. I think the punishments fit the crime. Also - you don't mess with Roger Goodell.
Maybe I am just not nearly as emotionally aware as I need to be but I find it extremely unlikely that any body would call CHILD MOLESTING and player bounties an apples to apples comparison. Additionally, while anybody in their right mind would agree that the knowledge and non action Joe Pa displayed is in no way excusable it is far different and should be handled far more differently than Sandusky who is the alleged child rapist.
In fact, these don't even meet any rational test as "horrendous acts." They are acts that certainly should be punished, despite the fact that they have been going on as long as there has been football. But come on, knocking a guy out of a game where you already already paid to hit him as hard as is humanly possible, is again, something that should be punished, but to treat it as even remotely comparable to child rape is ludicrous and really dumb.
How does a GM get suspended. Is he not allowed into the facility? Does the assistant GM step up in the time being, and if so then he is forbidden from contacting the GM? What if they just text each other, like in Moneyball?
Now I truly wish Goodell was in charge of the NCAA, then we might see some real punishments.
Yeah, because the Patriots are really smarting from CHEATING after they were told not to. That sounds like death sentence material in college, but in the NFL... we don't even get to see the DAMN VIDEO TAPES WHICH WOULD MAKE A DAMN GOOD 30 FOR 30 FILM! Maybe the Saints owner should buddy up to Goodell as well as Kraft has, he's in the stadium every other weekend!
goes well beyond what I expected. It's a welcome surprise though. Intentionally injuring someone has no place in any sport.
The penalties I would've laid down would've been much harsher - I would have banned the entire Saints organization for a year, for starters, and given the innocent players free releases to enter free agency - but in terms of what could realistically happen, this is really very good. I go hope there's more coming in terms of the individual players involved, though.
I dunno, the TV contract holders might have an issue with 16 games being wiped off their schedules. Not to mention the opposing teams.
Yeah, those are the practical sorts of things that make me realize that the punishment I wanted really isn't realistic. It's too bad, though, because the Saints certainly don't deserve to see the field right now.
LINK to the ESPN story
Lowering the boom is putting it mildly. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say there might be an appeal coming. You heard it here first.
What?! Its Amur-ica where no one accepts fault and countersues you because well...I just am ok?
Too bad Gooddell isn't head of the NCAA infractions committee
The question I have is how much more is out there? There must be other teams that had this kind of system in place. I wonder if they will be discovered and punished in similar fashion. I like it - ruling with an iron fist and not f-ing around.
I also wonder what kind of part (if any) that these bounties play in the illegal hits that we've seen more of recently . . .
and that's exactly why Goodell came down so hard. It's the opposite of what the NCAA has done. Hit someone REAL HARD and everyone else will think again before doing something similar. The NCAA decides not to contact key players in scandals and say "1 year bowl ban, boo for you"
The suspensions are impressive.....the second round picks are not. The Saints don't have their first rounder this year but they do have one next year, correct? (If I'm wrong, then I'll ease up slightly on the criticism of the draft pick punishment.) The NFL called this a three-year policy that the Saints had, so it should be three years of picks, and more than just one pick a year.
EDIT: also, since the Rams are collateral damage with Williams being their DC currently, the Saints should have to pay for the replacement.
listen, there is a reason we will never see the death penalty in college football again, it's the same reason the saints aren't giving up multiple picks each round, its bad for the league and bad for the fans, this was punishment enough
The NFL is getting very NCAAish about this, Head Coaches I guess are in charge of everything that falls under their watch.
Not complaining, just noticing something
According to the article, Payton was aware of the bounties, knew it was wrong and tried to cover it up to the NFL. I think pointing the finger at him is justified.
March 21st, 2012 at 11:29 PM ^
Oh well nevermind my original point then. I didn't see that bit
Player safety is important and in college where we have student athletes it would in my opinion be wayyyyyyyyyyy worse. However, I think in pro locker rooms there has been ongoing behavior like this and the NFL is just trying to make an example now.
every Head Coach in the NFL, is holding a staff meeting. The league made an example of the Saints, and every team has received the message.
Holy shit.
If you believe former players, every team has this going on at some level. It's usually just side bets within position groups, etc. The fact that the coaches/management knew or were involved, were warned by the NFL, and ignored the warnings is what warranted the smack down. I think it would be very difficult to prove which players were participating and that process would drag out an already embarrassing situation for the league.
considering this guy is probably the first one to actually get caught doing it.2 Draft picks, 500K, not really a killer when you have that great of a QB. Looks like Drew is gonna get that contract extension now if he hasnt already.
Ben Rothlisberger can rape someone, Bill Belichick can steal plays and cheat the game of football, but yet sean payton gets the worse punishment out of the three? I am not even a saints fan but doesnt make sense to me
The Pats still got it pretty good, and I would say rewarding people to intentionally injure other players is worse.
In Big Ben's case, there were no charges filed. He was suspended simply becuase there was any sort of news at all. I guess Goodell reasoned that where there is smoke, there is probably fire, which is probably fair. There was no evidence at all collected against him. So, his punishment was pretty harsh considering the facts. Not trying to defend him, I still think he did it and he is a piece of shit, but I'm just trying to explain the reasoning for the different punishments.
the punishment for Sean Payton is so severe, he is the Head Coach. As a Navy vet, I saw the careers of senior officers come to an end, because of what a subordinate did. Ultimately, Payton is responsible for what happens with his team.
With player safety being such a priority with the NFL, there is zero tolerance for anything that endangers the players. This is a message to the rest of the league. They feel the Saints lied to them, and they are bringing the hammer... starting with the man who leads them.
Exactly. Congress and the players association. I can't believe the league has admitted they gave them a warning when they first found out but didn't punish the team then. You are just asking for lawsuits from former/injured players that will argue the NFL should have done more to protect them.
I can't believe Payton sent an email to Williams saying to add $5000 for Rodgers, then denied it, then admitted it. He has to be smarter than that. According to the ESPN article, Williams was the accountant as well.
The league said that in addition to contributing money to the bounty fund, Williams oversaw record-keeping, determined payout amounts and who got cash, and handed out envelopes with money to players.
They should have tried to get Pryor in the supplemental draft. He has experience handing out cash in envelopes.
Sounds about right. I do think this is a witchhunt of sorts - watch those Baltimore-Pittsburgh games and tell me guys aren't gunning for injuries - but if you dumb enough to be caught then be ready to feel the punishment.
meanwhile Kyle Turley has this to say:
http://www.yahoosportsradio.com/nfl/kyle-turley-reactions-to-the-bounty…
Thanks Kyle for weiging in on this issue. Hope that you have calmed down about Coach Hoke leaving SDSU for his dream job.
This is harsh punishment for the Saints...but deservedly so. The league is sending a message that when they tell you to stop doing something, you'd better stop...and dont lie about it and try to cover it up.
Meanwhile, the Rams have an opening at DC... anyone seen GERG lately?
Drew Brees goes on Twitter and says he wants an explanation for this punishment. Then the SportsPickle Twitter account says back to him that it's probably because of the bounties.
so wrong that it gets you suspended for a whole year, then shouldn't you just be fired anyway?