Posted on 03/04/2012 7:51:05 PM PST by U-238
During the past three seasons, while the National Football League has been changing rules and levying fines in an effort to improve player safety, members of the New Orleans Saints’ defense maintained a lucrative bounty system that paid players for injuring opponents, according to an extensive investigation by the N.F.L.
The Vikings' Brett Favre is said to have been a target of player bounties.
The bounty system was financed mostly by players — as many as 27 of them — and was administered by the former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who also contributed money to the pool. The N.F.L. said that neither Coach Sean Payton nor General Manager Mickey Loomis did anything to stop the bounties when they were made aware of them or when they learned of the league’s investigation.
According to the league, Loomis did not even stop the bounties when ordered to by the team’s owner.
The N.F.L. said the total amount of money in the pool might have reached $50,000 or more at its height during the playoffs of the 2009 season, when the Saints were a feel-good story as they won the Super Bowl for post-Katrina New Orleans.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The penalty for this one needs to be gigantic, up to and including the loss of the franchise for present owners and all coaches involved banned from the league for life.
It even came with a price list:
•Knock out an opposing player? $1,500.
•Deliver the blow that results in an opponent getting carted off the field? $1,000.
So Reg Dunlop’s been coaching the Saints?
That is such a good movie.
The penalty for this one needs to be gigantic, up to and including the loss of the franchise for present owners and all coaches involved banned from the league for life.
Plus the entire coaching staff needs to be fired. And the players involved,,,never allowed to play in the NFL again. The league needs to make the punishment so painful that other teams will NEVER try anything like this.
Tonya Harding was just a little bit too open about it. Fifty five years ago in high school I knew what was a hard hit and what was an intentional injury. They should take these guys out of the game permanently, but then it’s not really a game, is it?
This might turn into a criminal probe.
Plenty of other bad guys. National Felon League??
I said players involved. I take that back. EVERY player on the team needs to be banned from the NFL for life,,,from Drew Brees on down to the lowest bench warmer. There is no way EVERY player on the team didn’t know about this.
personally I can't stand the Saints and I think their run up to the Superbowl was probably "encouraged" by TPTB...you know, to make up for Katrina...
just like the Stealers ....
Before the NFL became the “National Feminine League” this stuff used to go on all of the time.
For those of you that don’t remember or aren’t old like me, Oilers & Bears DC and eventual Eagles HC Buddy Ryan was putting “Bounties” on opposing players 25 years ago and the Networks were even building games up as “The Bounty Bowl” when Dallas played Philadelphia, and “Bounty Bowl 2” when they played again.
This kind of thing has been going on for a long time and will continue to do so.
It will be more low key, but it won’t end.
Ex: The starting front 4 Defensive Line might put up $250.00 each and the D Lineman with the most sacks, or hurries, or hits on the QB or combination of some/all gets $1,000.00
What’s to stop the NFL, the team, or anyone from 4 players doing this among themselves? Nothing and no one.
Google “The Bounty Bowl” & “Bounty Bowl 2” for those that don’t remember or are too young.
Eagle’s fans would also throw snowballs loaded with batteries at opposing players and coaches as the Grounds crew at the Vet in Philly would purposely leave snow in the stands for that very reason.
The only time Tom Landry didn’t shake an opposing coaches hand after a game was that of Buddy Ryan’s for the reasons above.
I agree with you.
I think it is more the pride of winning it.
May as well clear the Washington Redskins' benches at the same time, since Gregg Williams ran the exact same bounty system when he was there a few years earlier. In fact, every team that guy has been affiliated with could use some scrutiny.
Good luck getting the league to do anything against a star quarterback, though - especially when it was all defensive players who were the participants.
How about the 6 figure “Bounty” the NFL levies on a coach that dares to be critical of a bad officiating crew that just cost his team a game?
Perhaps a playoff game?
Anyone remember Conrad Dobler? Meanest man in football. Played with the old St. Louis Cardinals circa 60s and 70s.
Other teams have done this for many years.
Williams was formerly with the Redskins where the same set up existed, according to other items I’ve read here at FR.
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