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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.
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.
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