NFL investigating Saints for placing bounties on players(merged X2)

[jmt57]

I figured at some point Roger Goodell's over reaction to the video taping in 2007 would come back to bite him in the butt, and this is probably that day. The over the top punishment was like painting himself in a corner if something big ever happened down the road. The NFL managed to sweep the Denver filming incident under the rug, but there is no way that they will be able to do the same here.

This situation is far more serious for two reasons: first, as has already been discussed, is player safety. After all this talk about player safety, heavy fines and punishments, changing rules and penalties on the field, there is no way that this can be ignored.

Second, this is a situation which is far more pervasive throughout the organization: the GM knew about it, the head coach knew about it, and assistant coaches knew about it. About the only semi-saving grace is that although the Saints owner also knew, he ordered it to be stopped - though on the other hand, he apparently failed to follow up and insure that the practice had stopped. Williams administered, and Payton and Loomis did nothing to stop it.

They key to marketing the game for the NFL and their business partners is marquee quarterbacks, and the Saints placed bounties on two of the most well known QBs in the game at that point in time. The fact that Warner and Favre are no longer in the league should not matter; in fact, if anything there should be an investigation to see if their careers were shortened due to the bounties. If not, the NFL opens itself up to potential lawsuits from both parties.


If Goodell fails to hand down a stiffer penalty to New Orleans than he did to the Pats, then he'll be exposed as a hypocrite regarding player safety. It would also be a tacit admission that the penalty in 2007 to the Patriots was unjust and overly severe.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Re: Breaking: Saints Break Bounty Rule

Wait!

Bon jovi was involved!?!

 

[BigEZPatsFan76]

Let's see, now, since we lost a first round pick, and BB and the club were both fined extensively for spygate (similar to someone serving a 10 year prison sentence for jaywalking), let's see how Rog-Jet handles this one, having set such a high bar for punishments. This is 1000X worse than spygate. I think losing their first round and second round pick this year and next year. Sean Payton and Gregg Williams should BOTH be fined 2 million dollars each, and the Saints fined 5 million dollars also.



EZ76

 

[Salva135]

I know everyone is all giddy, in a sick and twisted way, that another team is about to be shat on by the commish worse than the Pats were. It's certainly worse from a moral standpoint, but I think most fans will still view SpyGate as much, much worse. To the average fan SpyGate affected the integrity of the game, this is just something a lot of fans secretly wish their team was actually doing. "Hit hard! Kill 'em! Yeahhhh!"

 

[jcdavey]

i imagine at least 1 mill in team fine, loss of first round draft pick , possibly more draft picks

fines and suspensions of players related to the investigation

fine and possible year long suspension of greg williams


that's just a start

 

[The Brandon Five]

Spygate = Sign stealing in baseball

Actually, I think it is more like the time that Terry Francona was harrassed for wearing a sweatshirt in the dugout.

Uniform-gate - Extra Bases - Red Sox blog

As Big-T says here, it was more about how it was being done than what was being done.

Schefter is now saying he thinks it's "safe" to predict that the punishment will be greater than that of ForgottowearalimejacketGate.

 

[Leemo]

Schefter on NFL Live: "In week of the NFCCG, Jonathan Vilma put $10K on a table & said 'this goes to the guy that knocks out Brett Favre.'"

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I know everyone is all giddy, in a sick and twisted way, that another team is about to be shat on by the commish worse than the Pats were. It's certainly worse from a moral standpoint, but I think most fans will still view SpyGate as much, much worse. To the average fan SpyGate affected the integrity of the game, this is just something a lot of fans secretly wish their team was actually doing. "Hit hard! Kill 'em! Yeahhhh!"

i don't see how videotaping from a restricted area in the stands affected the integrity of the game.
Please enlighten us.

 

[patsinthesnow]

Fine and suspend the coaches.

Suspend the players involved for the entire season.

Take away 2013 First, 2012 2nd and 3rd.

Fine the team.

The Goodell ultimate hammer!

 

[jcdavey]

I know everyone is all giddy, in a sick and twisted way, that another team is about to be shat on by the commish worse than the Pats were. It's certainly worse from a moral standpoint, but I think most fans will still view SpyGate as much, much worse. To the average fan SpyGate affected the integrity of the game, this is just something a lot of fans secretly wish their team was actually doing. "Hit hard! Kill 'em! Yeahhhh!"

i'm not giddy, this is a big black eye for my favorite sport

and i wouldn't be surprised if my own team is doing something similar, as many teams may be doing, they may all be doing it


this is bad bad pub with all the recent anti concussion stuff

 

[Gronkandez]

I just wish this happened to a fan base that deserves it, like the Colts/Steelers/Jets etc. The Saints have always been likeable post-Katrina.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Schefter on NFL Live: "In week of the NFCCG, Jonathan Vilma put $10K on a table & said 'this goes to the guy that knocks out Brett Favre.'"

Wait! For hitting Favre? Then I'm all for it. Sorry. My bad.

 

[jcdavey]

Schefter on NFL Live: "In week of the NFCCG, Jonathan Vilma put $10K on a table & said 'this goes to the guy that knocks out Brett Favre.'"

wow.....i'd suspend vilma for at least a year, and maybe even kick him out of the nfl

 

[Salva135]

I read an interesting point elsewhere that with Brees being in the middle of his contract negotation, might he consider playing elsewhere given that once this gets out to the rest of the league's players they might start targeting him for retribution? Kind of a stretch but not entirely unthinkable IMO.

 

[Rob0729]

Because of the impending lawsuits against the NFL, Goodell is probably going to have to make an example out of the Saints. The league cannot tolerate a team paying or at least looking the other way on players getting paid to hurt other players. Forget the cheating aspect. It is a huge liability issue if there is team sanctioned head hunting.

This is worse than Spygate because the Pats just filmed what 60-80k other people in the stadium could see in plain sight.

 

[jcdavey]

I read an interesting point elsewhere that with Brees being in the middle of his contract negotation, might he consider playing elsewhere given that once this gets out to the rest of the league's players they might start targeting him for retribution? Kind of a stretch but not entirely unthinkable IMO.

if i'm brees , i'd think about abandoning ship right now, it's going to get really bad really fast

 

[jcdavey]

maybe that's why brees is asking for 23 mill a year lol

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I just wish this happened to a fan base that deserves it, like the Colts/Steelers/Jets etc. The Saints have always been likeable post-Katrina.

Went to the Pats-Saints game last year, and the Saints fans couldn't have been nicer*

*my brother and I got to New Orleans at 10am that Monday, were on Burbon St. by noon, since it was a Monday, all the bars were having "3 for one" specials, seven hours and many beers and belly shots from half naked cokctails waitresses later, we went into the Superdome, so my memories of that day could be a bit fuzzy.

 

[Gronkandez]

Schefter on NFL Live: "In week of the NFCCG, Jonathan Vilma put $10K on a table & said 'this goes to the guy that knocks out Brett Favre.'"

It's not like he said, "try to tear his ACL" with an illegal hit or "try to concuss him with a helmet-to-helmet hit" though. It's bad but guys in the NFL are always trying to hurt other players with big hits.

 

[Banjo]

I just wish this happened to a fan base that deserves it, like the Colts/Steelers/Jets etc. The Saints have always been likeable post-Katrina.

that's mostly cuz of Brees. before him that stadium was mostly filled with paper bags, lol. Brees is such a nice guy and one of the best ambassadors you could have. he's practically the only nice guy on an absolutely DIRTY team!

depending of the punishments and the resulting fallout, it's not impossible to see Brees end up in Miami or Arizona.