The Bounty Hunters of New Orleans

Wow! When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he was going to take serious action against the New Orleans Saints for their bounty program, he wasn't kidding. Gregg Williams, the Saints (soon to be former) defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely. And don't be surprised if he is banned from the NFL altogether before this is all over.

Saint's head coach Sean Payton is suspended for the whole 2012 season. Ouch! Keep in mind that Payton won a Super Bowl with the Saints just a couple years ago. And the team finished last season with a 13-3 record and they looked like they would be a Super Bowl contender for years to come. But now, don't look for them to even make the playoffs next year. As a result of Payton's suspension, he will lose over $7 million. Again, ouch!

We're not done yet. The Saints were also fined $500,000 and will lose second round draft picks for the next two years (they had already given up this year's first round pick to New England).

In addition, the New Orleans' general manger and linebackers/assistant head coach were also suspended. And expect the suspension of several players in the near future.

For those who don't know the story, let me try to break it down......

Apparently, the New Orleans Saints were running a "bounty" program in which players would receive monetary bonuses if they injured opposing players. Specifically, the payouts were $1500 for a "knockout" and $1000 for a "cart-off" (this is where the player would leave the field on a stretcher). The bonuses were doubled and tripled during the playoffs. It was also reported that there was a $10,000 bounty on Minnesota's Brett Favre for any Saint who could knock him out of the 2010 playoff game between the two teams. To Favre's credit, even though he took some tremendous hits and suffered a serious ankle injury, he stayed in the game.

First off, I think it's despicable that a so-called professional organization would resort to these tactics. I'm all about hard-hitting football, but to intentionally try to injure or even maim a player is beyond comprehension to me. How can someone feel good about ending another player's career? Who do these guys think they are, Tonya Harding??

With that being said, here's what really amazes me. NFL players obviously make a lot of money. Many of these guys make millions of dollars a year. If I'm not mistaken, the minimum salary is over $300,000 per year. So, can someone please explain to me why any any of these guys would risk their lucrative career for a mere $1500? That's pocket change to most of these guys.

It's been reported that it was a disgruntled former Saint's employee who blew the whistle on the bounty program. Go figure. Did the Saints actually think that their bounty program would not be exposed? Did they think that nobody was ever going to talk about it? All it takes is one person with loose lips or, in this case, a person with an axe to grind. (It was also rumored that former Saint's tight end, Jeremy Shockey blew the whistle, but there is no proof that it's true. And Shockey has denied all "snitch" allegations.)

Saint's star quarterback Drew Brees rushed to Sean Payton's defense by "tweeting" that he needs an explanation for the harsh punishment. Hey Drew, your coach knew about the program and did nothing to stop it. Then, he obstructed the investigation. He got what he deserved. There's your explanation, now get your ass back in the huddle and shut up...

I find it a bit ironic that a team that wears a lily flower on the their helmet and calls themselves the "Saints" would be involved in something like this. Putting bounties on opposing players sure doesn't seem like a "saintly" thing to do. Maybe we should start calling them the New Orleans Sinners? Should the deal fall through in New York, maybe Tim Tebow can head down to New Orleans to give these guys a soul cleansing..

The NFL is arguably the best sports product on the market. It's a tremendously successful business. The NFL's success can be attributed to the way in which it is managed. I believe Roger Goodell is right on for coming down hard on the Saints. He is, no doubt, sending a message that this bullshit will not be tolerated under his watch. And I applaud him for it!

kw