It's going to be a BAD year for the New Orleans SAINTS

[Massive G]

Man it looks like they are in big trouble..kinda puts a damper on their Superbowl win and season.
I know they say the Patriots "cheated" but nobody likes a "publically" dirty team.
I'd hate to be Greg Williams, Sean Payton and Greg Loomis right now.
Ya everybody tries to knock out the other players, but an open and specific bounty pool and payment system?
Whoa.
The NFL will over react and make an example out of them all.

 

[Jello]

What happened?

 

[Massive G]

'Hits-for-cash' bounty scandal rocks National Football League - CNN.com

The far-reaching investigation into a "bounty" scandal is reverberating across the National Football League and threatens to tarnish the loveable image of the New Orleans Saints franchise.

"It's going to be a huge scandal," senior Sports Illustrated writer Peter King told CNN. "This will give the NFL a chance to come down on something that's sort of been a whisper campaign and a shadow story for a long time."

The NFL said as many as 27 players were paid up to $1,500 for vicious hits that would knock opposing players out of the game or force them to be carried off the football field.

According to the NFL, players paid into a "bounty" fund, that reached as high as $50,000 and Saints' defensive coordinator Gregg Williams would dole out the payments based on game performance.

On Monday, NFL security officials continued interviewing coaches and players across the league. According to NFL.com, league security officials met with Williams, who now works as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams.

Williams admits carrying out the cash-for-performance scheme.

"It was a terrible mistake," Williams said in a statement to the Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans. "And we knew it was wrong while we were doing it. Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it."

Many former players say "bounty" incentive programs have existed in professional football for a long time. Players, who question why this scandal is shocking so many fans, say football is a violent sport built around punishing your opponent.

LaVar Arrington, a former Washington Redskins linebacker, now writes the "Hard Hits" blog for the Washington Post. Arrington said the best players in the history of football have always brought a "seek and destroy mentality" to the game.

"So in a culture where it's an unwritten part of the game to get the best opposing player out of it, that's what players have done and still do to this day. The fact that there's such outrage appears to be a bit strange to me," Arrington wrote on his blog Monday.

The NFL said the "bounty" program is a clear violation of rules intended to protect "player safety and competitive integrity."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hasn't announced what kind of disciplinary action the league will take, but it's clear the punishment could include "fines and suspensions."

The NFL said that in addition to Williams, sanctions could be brought against New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton.

Peter King: Goodell to make an example of Saints

The NFL statement said Payton was not a direct participant but "failed to stop the bounty program" after he was made aware of the allegations.

Saints' general manager Micky Loomis could face harsh punishment as well. The league statement said Loomis was told by Saints owner Tom Benson to end the program and never followed through. Loomis also "denied any knowledge of a bounty program" according to the league statement.

The "bounty" program investigation is also growing beyond the Saints' organization. The Washington Post reported the NFL is also investigating the Washington Redskins. Williams coached with the Redskins during 2004-2007 seasons.

And Coy Wire, who played for Williams during his stint with the Buffalo Bills, told CNN he was interviewed by NFL security officials on Monday and questioned about "performance incentive" programs.

Wire said Williams was one of the best coaches he's ever played for but got carried away and let the Saints' "bounty" program go too far. Wire is now a motivational speaker and worries about how this scandal will influence young kids learning to play football.

"You want an edge mentally. You want to break your opponent's will to win. In football the best way to break their will is to break their body," Wire said. "We really have to figure out where to draw the line and what kind of rules and regulations need to be drawn up to make sure that nothing goes too far anymore so that we can make a safer game for future players."

 

[dgarr21]

They are a team that has been together for years. Plus the Coach has had time to plan on his gameplay for when the NFL suspends him for probably 4 games. They will still make the playoffs. The panthers don't have a "team" yet just some good players but major holes. The bucs are a JOKE. The falcons always give them a run for their money. BUT they wont have a 1st rd next year or a 2nd and 3rd this year. People are loving this (saints haters, cause their teams suck). But mark my words....Saints will be in the playoffs.....if I was in Vegas i'd place money on it.

And Jello, Greg Williams had a payment structure to his defensive players that if they did a huge hit and made someone like Favre or a key position player get injured they'd get a little pocket cash. Like $1,500, but the funny thing is A ASSLOAD of teams have done this. It's a COLLISION SPORT! Not a contact lol but a collision sport. The NFL is getting soft now

 

[Massive G]

They be ticking off Drew Brees too!

Drew Brees Not Happy About Franchise Tag And Won't Sign It, According To Report - SBNation.com

 

[Massive G]

They are a team that has been together for years. Plus the Coach has had time to plan on his gameplay for when the NFL suspends him for probably 4 games. They will still make the playoffs. The panthers don't have a "team" yet just some good players but major holes. The bucs are a JOKE. The falcons always give them a run for their money. BUT they wont have a 1st rd next year or a 2nd and 3rd this year. People are loving this (saints haters, cause their teams suck). But mark my words....Saints will be in the playoffs.....if I was in Vegas i'd place money on it.

And Jello, Greg Williams had a payment structure to his defensive players that if they did a huge hit and made someone like Favre or a key position player get injured they'd get a little pocket cash. Like $1,500, but the funny thing is A ASSLOAD of teams have done this. It's a COLLISION SPORT! Not a contact lol but a collision sport. The NFL is getting soft now

I could care less about the Saints and my team doesn't suck.
I personally don't think it is a big deal-but the powers to be do-and are chomping at the bits for this as the pending lawsuits against the NFL-this gives them a chance to show they are proactive.
I agree on the softness of the NFL and that every play someone is trying to knock someone silly.

 

[wilderbeast]

You cannot as an organization pay your players to intentionally severely injure another teams players. Sorry but it's not being "soft" to not play the game dirty and try to intentionally cause game, season, or career ending injuries.

BEAST

 

[s39will]

its part of the sport

ive caught some brief blurbs on this
but actually havent heard all the details
i dont watch much espn after superbowl, football is the only sport i can watch
these guys already get paid alot to play a rough contact game, its why we watch
they go at it hard
i dont know if any of the hits were deamed or fined by league
to have a bonus pool was pretty crazy for the saints to do

 

[triathloncoach]

I have read this is a dirty little secret in the NFL. Its widespread. This began around the time that the Saints were investigated for pain meds disappearing from the team pharmacy? Next someone is going to say some of the players use PEDs.

But the Saints will get hammered for this. I don't see how Payton keeps his job. It sucks when you are the one that gets caught.

 

[j4ever]

payton will keep his job,the saints defense will be better this coming season,so they will go far.

 

[dgarr21]

You cannot as an organization pay your players to intentionally severely injure another teams players. Sorry but it's not being "soft" to not play the game dirty and try to intentionally cause game, season, or career ending injuries.

BEAST

Can't shouldn't won't.....yeah I hear you but its widespread even Coach Dikta said it on ESPN. So get over it or under it. Either way players will ALWAYS play dirty. This isnt disney. Sorry if I'm not being nice about it but its just childish to think it doesnt happen. It happens in teams everywhere and in every sport. The ONLY thing that will change now is teams won't give out bonuses now for injuring a guy...thats it and that all that will come. Saints are the new bad boys now in the NFL.....BIG DEAL lol, they still will make the playoffs and get their ass handed to them by the NFL but they will still be a 10 win team this season.

Have a good day gentlemen i'm off to the gym. And I know it was kind of blunt and rude of me but i'm so over this topic. Look at Spygate, now its rarely spoke of. Nobody will care 3 years from now. Peace!

 

[Massive G]

payton will keep his job,the saints defense will be better this coming season,so they will go far.

The point of my thread was that is was going to be tough on the saints owners managers coaches and players as well as the fans personally, they are gonna get hammered and beat up by the media and sportswriters.
They are a great team-and great teams overcome things like this-as it is a huge distraction in the off season.
But they will probably come out stronger.
I really hate the media blitz right now with everything-it's so overkill.
I was telling people about this during the superbowl.
Thousands of articles clips and tons of sports channels breaking down every possible snap before a game ever starts.
It's like information overkill...but it's the age we live in.

 

[Gunsmith]

if you think for one second that the Saints are the only team to have a "bounty system" or hit squads your nuts !!
it's just some dumb fuck couldent keep him mouth shut and the rest of the team acting as if thus is some news to them , well that's part of the reason I stopped watching the NFL

if they pussyfy that game any more they may as well play flag football

they need to make a base salary and the players ear more for better performance "incentives" make them earn their keep and stop the bench riding from weak ass injuries
take the face mask off the helmets , that will stop the hemet to helmet hitting
stop steroid testing them
and out the rules back in place that they had 20 years ago!!

 

[PainSeeker]

If you look at how much even the nobody players earn per year the ammounts they were getting for the bounty was nothing. My point being that these guys dont hit hard for a couple grand, they do it for the pride of having the hardest hits. Even without the money these guys are still going to head hunt. It has always been a part of the game and even most of the fans acting appauled by this are the same ones cheering and rewatching the huge hits on tivo. The hits are what makes people want to watch football at that level.

 

[thestingray]

It's really nothing every other nfl team does they just got caught. I think the former DC, Gregg Williams, has a track record of this at other teams too.

As a life long an die hard Saints fan the only. Conclusion I can come to is that this is all the work of crybaby Vikings fans since that NFC title game keeps getting brought up, and even bigger crybaby Atlanta turd bird fans who know the Foulcons will always be an also ran if they don't find a way to take care of us off the field because they sure as hell aren't going to do it on the field.

Nothing to see here people, move along and discuss peyton manning.

 

[Johnny Ringo]

This Problem is "Nothing" in comparison to loosing Bree's


Johnny Ringo

 

[teady]

Poor saints finally got to take the bags off their heads. Now it looks like they are going back on!

 

[rock75]

Not every team plays to "injure" other players!! Yes, they may have a "reward" system in place for hits, sacks, fumbles, INT's etc but to say generally EVERY TEAM PLAYS TO INJURE THEIR OPPONENT IS ABSURD!!! Yes, they play to hit hard and impose their will but to injure someone else who plays the game is beyond what most would dare to hinder the sport they love...