Saints hit Hard

[NEFAN]

Sean Payton Suspended W/O Pay for a year
Greg Williams Indefinately Banned
GM gone for half the season
ASST. Head Coach gone for 6 games
Next 2 second round picks
$500K fine
Up to 27 players to get hit later.

WOW.

[otismalibu]

Goodell is a joke.

[Shipp_96]

Goodell is a joke.

Agreed. He promotes an 18 game schedule but then hands out these kind of fines because he does not want his product (ie: the players) damaged? It might be honorable if I thought he gave a rat's @ss beyond his profit margin.

On a separate but I feel valid point, why did the Pats get caught CHEATING and get a slap on the wrist compared to this punishment? I do not understand how he judges this so much more harshly than a gaining a competitive advantage by videotaping defensive signals.

[otismalibu]

On a separate but I feel valid point, why did the Pats get caught CHEATING and get a slap on the wrist compared to this punishment? I do not understand how he judges this so much more harshly than a gaining a competitive advantage by videotaping defensive signals.

Yeah, that one got swept under the rug pretty quickly. He's all over the map.

[cohibasmoker]

I think there is a difference if a player injures another player for aggressive play as opposed to a player who purposely and with intent hurts another player for a cash bonus. Off the athletic field, it would be called "aggravated assault" and since others (coaches) are involved with planning the assault, that would involve a extra charge called "conspiracy".

I think Goodell was right when he said he was trying to curb a underlying "culture" that was beginning to emerge within the NFL.

Just an opinion,

Jim

[marino13]

I think there is a difference if a player injures another player for aggressive play as opposed to a player who purposely and with intent hurts another player for a cash bonus. Off the athletic field, it would be called "aggravated assault" and since others (coaches) are involved with planning the assault, that would involve a extra charge called "conspiracy".

I think Goodell was right when he said he was trying to curb a underlying "culture" that was beginning to emerge within the NFL.

Just an opinion,

Jim

Agreed with you 100%.


But, it is the "culture" that got snitched is CAUGHT - they deserve all the fines and punishment their way!

But how about those not being caught? What then?

[coxfan]

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that more football players (including in college) are being arrested these days for domestic assault and the like. So the culture may be extending beyond the field, and the NFL is right to address it forcefully.

Other sports have had to clean up themselves periodically. Professional baseball nearly died in the 1870's because of player corruption and fan rowdiness; one of the goals of the newly-formed NL in 1876 was to address those things. The Black Sox scandal, and the more recent PED problem, are other examples of an emerging culture that the sport had to address to save its integrity.

[cohibasmoker]

The minimum salary in the NFL is $260,000 per year. The scale goes up for each year of service and - according to his position. The minimum for a rookie is $260,000 per year and that rises to $765,000 per year for a player who has played six or more years in a NON skilled position. For a quarterback or running back or receiver - the minimum wage after 6 years is $1,000,000 per year. That's just the money - I won't mention the perks.

Now, the Saints - they were offering up to $1500.00 for hits that knocked someone out of the game. With what a rookie player makes, is it about the money or is it something else? Could it be, a thug is a thug? I've read that not all of the players participated in the "bounty" program but those who did, all it took was a few extra bucks to remove all restraints and to provide personal justification for their actions. It's always amazes me just how little it takes for some folks to sell their soul.

As for the NFL, are they really concerned about the "hits"? They probably are but another thought could possibly be - what about pending litigation? I wonder how many retired players are lining up to sue the Saints and NFL? The NFL's stance could be, "when we were made aware of the situation, we investigated it and addressed it immediately and forcefully - the NFL is no longer a hostile work environment" The Saints organization may have a different problem.

Just an opinion,

Jim

[slab0meat]

From what I keep hearing on the NFL channel on SiriusXM, it's much moreso the fact they got investigated years ago on the bounties, played dumb, were told to cut it out, then just kept doing it like they were never told... so supposedly the lying played a big part in the heavy punishment.

From what I recall, the Pats just basically knew they were caught, accepted punishment, and moved on.

[BostonSportsFan]

As more news of this entire episode has continued to come out I must admit that this has really surprised me. At least initially, I must say that this story did not even register with me. This type of thing goes on all the time and the fact is that anyone who watches a Ravens and Steelers game sees two teams that are out for blood and trying to put everyone out of the game as just one example.

I personally would have zero problem with this if this was an inhouse player only pool as I am sure that type of thing goes on with virtually every single team to one degree or another.

The fact that the team itself was running this program and was warned multiple times, was paying this money out and continued to lie and ignore this was just beyond stupid and it was only a matter of time until they did get caught.

Does the league care about player safety? Sure but is this also a facade that they are putting up due as someone mentioned to the impending and current lawsuits no doubt about it. AFter all for years the league has made money off the NFL greatest hits video's that they have sold. Does anyone think they are not hypocritical in that way?

I am just shocked at how stupid the Saints were once the league was on to them to not stop this bounty program.

As Mike Golic said on Mike & Mike in the morning on ESPN, every defensive player is trying to hit the opposing players as hard as they can. Are they trying to permanently hurt people no, but they absolutely are trying to put the opposing players out of the game no question about it. As Golic said, anyone who is not hitting as hard as they can is not going to be in the league very long.

Joe