Bountygate Punishment for the Saints

If he 100% trusts his source, and it sounds like he does, then why not? To me the rat looks way worse here than Sapp.

He should have confirmed it with more than just once source.

Well just 2 games is even more ridiculous. The ONLY thing that I think could maybe be a bit too much is that Payton is essentially suspended for much of next off-season. Lift the suspension after the playoffs and let him be involved with the team for senior week, combines, pro days, free agency

2 games would have been downright laughable and would have sent a weak message.

This investigation went on for 2 years. Goodell knew about it. Why didn't he stop it when it was going on? He's so worried about safety then he should've came out and said..."anyone caught doing this will be suspended and docked draft picks"...right there he could've ended this right away. Whether it's right or wrong this has been the culture of football. Defensive players, next year, will try and knock out offensive players. The only difference is funds won't be exchanged.

Not sure if you don't understand the concept of lies and cover-ups, or if you're just not paying attention


“Clearly, we were lied to,” Goodell said. “We investigated this back in 2010, we were told it was not happening, it continued for another two years until we got credible evidence late in the 2011 season and we were able to identify significant information that verified from multiple sources that this was going on for a three-year period.”

Roger Goodell stands by Saints’ suspensions: “We were lied to” | ProFootballTalk (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/21/roger-goodell-stands-by-saints-suspensions-we-were-lied-to/)

Who was the convicted felon?

Mike Ornstein, A Felon, Contributed To Saints Bounties And Left Email Trail - SBNation.com (http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/3/2/2840512/mike-ornstein-new-orleans-saints-bounty-program)

As part of the suspension, is Payton forbidden from having contact with Saints employees?

Not sure if you don't understand the concept of lies and cover-ups, or if you're just not paying attention

I understand it clearly. I'm over it.

The nfL commissioner judgment was right. Everybody involved in whatever form or fashion should have received harsh discipline. Sean Payton, being the head coach, should have put a stop it when he found out about it so him being the head coach and not to do anything about it and then lie about it why his punishment was so harsh. He was worthy of what he got.

Gregg Williams was fortunate that he wasn't banned for life from the NFL. I thought that would be his punishment. Luckily for him that didn't happen.

As for as the Saints GM and the other front office person, the commissioner of the NFL could have went a little bit lighter. I feel the coaches are more involved than the front office people.

The draft picks taken away should have been second round this year and a first rounder next year. And the $500,000 fine should have been more.

As part of the suspension, is Payton forbidden from having contact with Saints employees?

I'm pretty sure as on April 1st he can't have any direct contact with the Saints, employees, or players...

Well........there will no longer be any suggestion that players are treated more harshly than coaches and mgmt in the eyes of the Commissioner..........

I heard an interesting point on Yahoo Sports Radio this morning. Think it was Chris Russell.

The league said they've been investigating this for 3 years. Gregg Williams was hired by the Rams in January, just two months before his punishment that the league knew about. All coaching hires much be approved by the NFL/Commissioner. They approved his hire by the Rams. Then, they suspended him, leaving the team without a coach.

Sounds EXACTLY like the crap they pulled with our salary cap punishment. They approved the signings, then handed out punishments for the moves they just approved!

It's almost like Goodell is intentionally setting teams up for punishments and it's affecting the teams' offeason plans and ultimately the product they're able to put on the field.

He's out of control. This needs to be stopped. Goodell is acting like a dictator. I don't throw that word around lightly either, but he seems to care more about his power than the product for the fans or even financially.

The Saints DID do wrong and need to be dealt with. I'm not defending him or denying a punishment was appropriate (even though it seems too harsh), but that point about them approving Gregg Williams' hire by the Rams about 9 weeks ago really got me thinking about the league's actual interests/intentions for the teams. Sabotage is starting to look like a possibility. Is this a punishment/power trip for the lockout and negotiations with ownership? The league did not get their 18 game schedule so now Goodell is throwing the hammer down on the teams as much as he can? It's in the best interest of the league to be able to field the best teams they possibly can and now Dallas, Washington and New Orleans have been severely hampered in doing so, 3 of the more popular and profitable teams in the league. Is it a ploy to help the smaller markets be more competitive? I don't know but I'm very suspicious. The timing of the punishments and the fact that all of these issues are popping up just a season away from the labor talks makes me wonder.

Also, the Saints will be in the HOF Game...so instead of talking about the HOF inductees, we'll have to listen to talk about bounties and watch their replacement coaches in action. The league should move the Saints out of that game in August (plenty of time) for the sanctity of the weekend which will probably be ruined now.