[7] Williams and the players pooled their own money to pay out performance bonuses. During the 2010 investigation, Payton told Williams and Vitt to "make sure our ducks are in a row" when the league interviewed them. No more bias or b.s. The hit went without penalty on the field, but the N.F.L., intent on meting out stiffer discipline for violations of player safety, docked Harrison $75,000 at least some of which, Harrison . He crippled them to the point that . )[86] Seau's sentiments were echoed by Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton. An @NFL player is injured let's start off by asking Sean Payton, who quite literally had a bounty system to Injure opposing teams players #BountyGate ask me how I know this to be True . However, depending on the Saints' cooperation and that of the individuals involved, Goodell could restore the Saints' second-round pick in 2013 (though the Saints would still lose a lower-round pick), as well as reduce the fine on the Saints and restore Payton, Vitt and Loomis' lost pay. Hargrove lied to league officials during the 2010 investigation, but later signed a letter to the NFL admitting that he was an active participant in the scheme. The NFL said payoffs went to 22 to 27 defensive players for inflicting game-ending injuries on targeted opponents, including quarterbacks Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. Head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 seasonthe first time since Chuck Fairbanks in 1978 that a head coach had been suspended. His status will be reevaluated by commissioner Roger Goodell following the 2012 season. "[30][31], However, on July 26, 2012, Vilma and seven witnesses from the Saints testified in front of a federal judge in New Orleans that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell got his facts wrong in the bounty scandal. In an interview with NFL Network's Rich Eisen, Goodell said that the threat to player safety, as well as the fact the Saints lied about it, demanded significant punishment. "Seven people testified, 2 sworn affidavits all saying the same thing. According to Wikipedia, members of the New Orleans Saints "were accused of paying out bonuses or bounties for injuring opposing team players." [89], The revelation of Williams' pregame speech was also greeted with revulsion. 1984-87: Belton High School - Head Coach, Chadiha: Players shouldn't be only fall guys, Kreidler: Explaining Roger Goodell's actions, Howard: Retired player has second thoughts, TMQ: Saints set bad example for lower levels, Hill: Misplaced outrage over NFL bounties, Jacobs: Williams must be banned for 5 years, Clayton: Saints bounties worse than Spygate. "If the Saints tended to injure more players, then teams that played them would tend to list more injuries the following week. [67] Payton, Vitt and Loomis met with Goodell on April 5. [11], Favre's agent, Bus Cook, later said that he also felt the Saints were deliberately trying to knock Favre out of the game, and claimed that several hits on Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner in the divisional round a week earlier crossed the line as well. One of those interviewed, Junior Seau, bluntly said that such practices crossed the line into threatening a person's livelihood. "[87], Kevin Seifert, who blogs on the NFC North for ESPN.com, wrote that neither he nor most Vikings fans were surprised at the discovery of the bounty program. [8], After the sanctions were announced, CBSSports.com's Gregg Doyel wrote that the severity of the punishments handed down to Williams, Payton and Loomis proved that Goodell was truly sincere in his desire to "take the thuggishness out of the NFL." On May 2, the league announced the suspension of four players for their leadership roles in the bounty system. I am truly sorry. However, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying that "the general customs of football" do not include deliberately attempting to injure opposing players. Advertisement Bountygate Evidence and Audio Fujita, a linebacker with the Cleveland Browns, was suspended for three games while Hargrove, a defensive lineman now with the Green Bay Packers, got an eight-game suspension. Discovery Company. But I would be shocked, that'll be something that gets tucked away or under the . These typically involve incentivizing fouling, knocking out, and injuring opposition players. GM Mickey Loomis was suspended without pay for the first eight regular-season games of 2012. Go lay that motherfucker out." [29], In June 2012, the league revealed that it possessed a ledger detailing the weekly earnings of the players, which are earned for cart-offs ($1000) and "whacks" ($400) and deducted for "mental errors. The league also found that head coach Sean Payton was aware of the bounty system and, though not directly involved with it, hadn't done anything to shut it down. He cited a 1977 case in which Denver Broncos defensive back Dale Hackbart sued the Cincinnati Bengals for a late hit to the back by running back Boobie Clark that fractured three vertebrae four years earlier and ended his career. No player was taken out of the game and no outcomes were changed by the injury of a player. Rumors are circulating that Payton's retirement may be short-lived and that he may return to the game after sitting out for one year. Vilma was a captain of the defensive unit under Williams and assisted in creating and funding the bounty program, the NFL statement said. We can joke about the recruiting-Ohtani part of Suzuki not being on Team Japan anymore, but in all seriousness, I just thought it was gonna be cool to watch Seiya playing on such a loaded team. [76], On July 26, 2012, Jonathan Vilma and seven witnesses from the Saints testified in front of a federal judge in New Orleans that Goodell got his facts wrong in the bounty scandal. The Rams were driving inside. Go get it. He also claimed that NFL Network yanked its planned replay of the 2009 NFC Championship Game due to concern that fans might look more closely for late hits that should have been called. Vilma, a linebacker who is still with the Saints, got suspended for a year, and teammate Smith, a defensive end, got a four-game suspension. Clark added that he would have reported Williams or any coach that offered to run such a program. Williams is most notably known for being the Defensive Coordinator in New Orleans during the BountyGate scandal, where defensive players were given cash if they successfully injured the offensive . [18][22][24][25], When Benson was informed of the league's findings, he called in Payton and Loomis and ordered the program shut down immediately. Players also received "bounties" for "cart-offs" (plays in which an opponent was removed from the field on a stretcher or cart) and "knockouts" (plays that resulted in a player being unable to return for the rest of the game). After a lengthy. Published Feb 9, 2022. It was known as the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal or simply "Bountygate.". Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. An injured Vilma does not play but leads the "Who Dat" pregame chant before the Saints' 40-32 season-opening loss to the Washington Redskins. On September 7, 2012, the Burbank appeals panel vacated the suspensions imposed on the four, and the NFL confirmed that the ruling reinstated them in time for their first games of the 2012 season two days later. Later, CBSSports.com NFL columnist Clark Judge said several Vikings assistants told him they believed McCray was acting on direct orders from Williams, with at least one being so outraged that he threatened to "punch [Williams] in the face" the next time they met. After the program was reported on, Payton and Loomis said they took full responsibility for the practice, which they said happened under our watch.. The players and Williams contributed their own cash to the pot, and received cash payments based on their performance in the previous week's game. He specifically directed them to try to tear wide receiver Michael Crabtree's ACL, injure tight end Vernon Davis' ankles and go after kick returner Kyle Williams specifically because he had a history of concussions. The league announced that Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma were suspended without pay for varying lengths of time. We have made it clear that punishment without evidence is not fair. We have spoken with our players and their representatives and we will vigorously protect and pursue all options on their behalf.. 2004-07: Washington Redskins - Defensive Coordinator [36], Several former Bills players subsequently told The Buffalo News of a similar system during Williams' tenure as Bills' head coach from 2001 to 2003. He also believed that Goodell was going to use the scandal to "end the practice of bounty football forever," much like the penalties imposed against the Patriots after "Spygate" effectively ended the longstanding practice of illicit videotaping. However, linebacker Eddie Robinson, who played for Williams in Houston and Tennessee as well as in Buffalo, acknowledged an incentive pool but said he never heard Williams favor deliberately injuring other players. Fujita, who left the team for the Browns immediately after the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV, pledged "a significant amount of money" into the bounty program. It did, but monetary incentives for big hits and even injuries were and probably still is common place. Roger Goodell announces Wednesday that Saints coach Sean Payton will be suspended for the 2012 season due to his role in the team's Bountygate scandal. Saints GM Mickey Loomis had been ordered by owner Tom Benson to shut down the program, but failed to do so. Yes, Bountygate is a real scandal that emerged in 2012. It may take Jerry Jones stepping away from the general manager's position for this to take place, but who's to say he won't do that in order for his team to win a Super Bowl? After a lengthy investigation, the NFL found that Sean Payton not only knew about this but tried to hide the information from the NFL. After re-starting the disciplinary process, Goodell upheld the suspensions for Vilma and Smith and reduced the suspensions for Fujita and Hargrove to one and seven games respectively. Burnley: Winger Robbie Brady sustained a hamstring injury against Crystal . Jonathan Vilma placed a $10,000 bounty on Brett Favre in the 2009 NFC title game. Then the coach reminded the players to target specific injuries on 49ers: "We need to find out in the first two series of the game," Williams said, "that little wide receiver, number 10, about his . [69], The NFLPA requested that the league should hold off on any punishments for the players until it conducts its own investigation. Williams said that he knew all along the slush fund broke the rules, and that "I should have stopped it" rather than get further involved. He ordered his men to try to knock out running back Kendall Hunter, even if it meant hitting him out of bounds. The players were paid $1,500 for a knockout, when an opposing player was not able to return to the game, and $1,000 for a cart-off, when an opposing player had to be carried off the field. Jan. 25, 2022 New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, who led the team to its only Super Bowl title and, with quarterback Drew Brees, created one of the N.F.L.'s most successful tandems,. "I. During his tenure, there was one incident that tarnished, if only for a brief time, his otherwise pristine record. [77] Two days after the fifth game of the season, on October 9, 2012, the league re-issued the suspensions without any changes or reductions; the players' appeals continued. Nonetheless, the loss of Payton, combined with the distractions caused by the scandal, proved too much for the Saints to overcome. [19] Later that day, the NFL announced it had obtained irrefutable proof of a bounty pool dating back to the 2009 season, based on a review of 18,000 documents. I ask that you and ESPN report the facts. Jack Willis has again left England's training camp early and is set to answer a back-row crisis for Toulouse, giving Steve Borthwick a sizeable selection headache before his side host France on . The numbers are striking."[94]. However, Woodson felt that several parts of Williams' speechparticularly his calls to go after Crabtree's ACL and target Williams specifically because he had concussions in the pastwent too far. He initially denied any involvement, but recanted and admitted everything in a meeting with Goodell. Loomis was suspended for the first eight games of the 2012 season. In a statement, Goodell said that the NFL would not tolerate "conduct or a culture" that put player safety at risk. I. Judges only have limited jurisdiction over arbitration issues. He also told at least one other player that the Saints had put a bounty on Favre in the 2009 NFC title game. 3,000 @ggerould - 10:35 PM. The Saints also lied to the NFL over the past two years when an investigation was being conducted, so the punishment does seem to fit the crime. I got the first one. In some cases, particular players on the opposing team were targeted, the NFL said. However, all appeals were denied. [44] The Steelers released a statement on their official web site mentioning that the team does not condone any sort of bounty program. Williams was the Browns' defensive coordinator at that time. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the entire 2012 season, DL Anthony. Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, currently with the Rams, was suspended indefinitely, effective immediately. From Playmakers, a look at how close Sean Payton came to becoming the Cowboys coach in 2019 -- and how Anthony Davis (yes, Anthony Davis) kept it from happening. Before Monday's appeals hearings on the Saints bounty punishments, the NFL was required to provide the NFLPA and the suspended players ( Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Scott Fujita and Anthony. They wanted to hurt him, and he wasn't alone. Story , Roger Goodell and the NFL have made a scapegoat out of Jonathan Vilma with his one-year ban. Sullivan called the Saints' treatment of Favre "despicable" and "the exact opposite of sportsmanship," and even called for the league to take some sort of action against players involved in that game who had since retired, such as McCray.[71]. [16] Cerullo testified that he kept track of payments and pledges made. The league also found that Vitt, whom Payton had assigned to monitor Williams (the two reportedly didn't get along very well), also knew about the broader lines of the scheme and even witnessed Williams handing out payments to players. Payton and Loomis also apologized to Benson and the Saints fans, and promised that such behavior would never happen again. No penalty was called on the play, though NFL vice president of officiating Mike Pereira said one should have been called, saying it was "the type of hit we don't want." On March 2, 2012, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the NFL had indeed found evidence of a bounty program. On March 2, 2012, the NFL announced that it had evidence that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams had created the program soon after his arrival in 2009, and alleged that "between 22 and 27 Saints players" were involved. [53] On March 12, WWL-TV in New Orleans reported that Payton and Benson met with Goodell in New York for much of the morning to reiterate that the Saints would continue to cooperate fully with the NFL's investigation. Since the NFL unveiled its findings, Williams has been accused of running similar bounty programs during his coaching stints with the Titans, Redskins and Bills. Roger Goodell claimed the Saints had a system from 2009-2011 where they would pay to specifically injure other players. The New Orleans Saints were found to have operated a bounty system in which players were paid bonuses for, among other things, hard hits and deliberately injuring opposing players. However, Vitt failed to tell anyone about it. Comedy Sport New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton coaches his son's 6th-grade football team while he is being suspended for the entire 2012 season as a result of his role in the Saints' Bountygate scandal. Directors Charles Kinnane Daniel Kinnane Writers Chris Titone Keith Blum Stars Kevin James Taylor Lautner Rob Schneider April 15 - Payton holds his first team meeting at . Sean Payton's reputation didn't suffer too much after Bountygate. [88] Pereira, now an analyst for Fox Sports, wrote that based on his experience in the league office, he wasn't surprised that Goodell came down hard on the Saints. It also asserted that head coach Sean Payton tried to cover up the scheme, and that he and general manager Mickey Loomis failed to shut it down when ordered to do so by team owner Tom Benson. [7][18][20], The NFL sent a confidential and detailed memo to all 32 teams detailing its findings. Lombardi claimed that as a result, Williams operated essentially as "an independent contractor." Former Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams ran a bounty system that paid out cash bonuses for big hits during his time in Washington and most recently with the New Orleans Saints. He is beloved by the city of New Orleans and will probably be a folk hero in that area for the rest of his life. Lombardi argued that such a situation is "never fully sustainable," as it can easily lead to the head coach losing control. To test whether the Saints injured more players than a typical team, one need only compare the number of players added to injury reports after a Saints game to the league-wide average. Brett Favre was a target of the New Orleans Saints in 2010. It determined that Williams had initiated the fund soon after he arrived in New Orleans in 2009, in hopes of making the defense more aggressive. or hearsay. General manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for the first eight games of the 2012 season. A college softball team showcased the ultimate act of sportsmanship on Saturday by helping an opponent who just hit a home run around the bases. The NFL previously suspended Saints coach Sean Payton for the 2012 season while levying an indefinite suspension on former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was accused of masterminding the bonus program. The quick version is that the New Orleans Saints were paying bounties to defensive players for causing injuries to members of the other team. He was reinstated a year later, worked for the Titans in 2013 and returned to St. Louis last season. There is already speculation that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants Payton to be his next head coach, if not this year, then next year, which means Mike McCarthy may be on the clock, if the Cowboys don't make it to the NFC Championship game next year. PFF reports that former Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy has zeroed in on the play that he believes caused the injury, and it involves a matchup against a defense led by Gregg Williams. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Tarkenton wrote that he played against the likes of Mean Joe Greene, Ray Nitschke and Dick Butkus, and none of them even considered deliberately trying to hurt him. Unsurprisingly, Walton was the top pick overall for the 1974 NBA draft, snagged by the Portland Trailblazers. [51] However, several former players interviewed by Sports Illustrated said that while payments for good hits and sacks were indeed considered part of the game, bounties for intentionally injuring opponents violated an unwritten code. The player suspensions were vacated on technical grounds by an arbitration panel on Sept. 7, 2012, just two days before the Saints' season-opener. It added to my interest in the WBC for sure. [18] The investigation continued during the 201112 playoffs and continued through the 2012 offseason. [72], Earlier, Goodell had indicated that he was going to come down hard on the players involved, telling Eisen that they "enthusiastically embraced" the scheme. He also said that the fact that the scheme went on for three years demanded that "a strong and lasting message must be sent that such conduct is totally unacceptable and has no place in the game. One of the things was it was on my watch, but there was nothing that hasnt been done in the last 50 years in the sport and there was nothing done to try to hurt somebody, Williams continued. The players said that Williams paid his crew thousands of dollars for aggressive play, with the biggest payoutsas much as $8,000coming for "kill shots" that knocked opposing players out of games. On March 30, Payton, Vitt and Loomis appealed their suspensions, and the Saints also appealed the fine and loss of draft picks. It also contended that since the alleged conduct took place before the most recent CBA was signed in August, Goodell should have deferred to NFL special master Stephen Burbank in ruling on the players' actions. or hearsay. . By CM Lucas. 2:34 pm ET, would vacate the suspensions of those Saints' players on appeal, Agent's Take: Rodgers' trade value, logistics, best fit, McCarthy discusses taking over Cowboys' play-calling, Brett Favre welfare funds scandal explained, Reich says Carr 'checks a lot of boxes' after meeting, Gregg Williams on Bountygate: It was 'nothing that hadn't been done before', Mock: Carter falls amid warrant, Ravens take QB, Rodgers' trade value, logistics and best fit, Best team fits for top FAs at each position, Ex-NFL GM on ramifications of Carter's legal issue, NFLPA issues team report cards: Commanders fail, 49ers GM says he contacted Brady as team seeks QB help, Jalen Carter issues statement amid charges. Payton initially denied knowing that this email existed, but subsequently admitted that in fact he had read it. Bountygate was alleged to have taken place from 2009 to 2011. All Rights Reserved. [74] Goodell issued the suspensions as part of his power to sanction any "conduct detrimental to the integrity and public confidence in the NFL," a violation of Article 46 of the CBA. McCray hit Favre below the knees, briefly knocking Favre out of the game with an ankle injury. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. The pool was alleged to have been in operation from 2009 (the year in which the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV) to 2011. Two of those players were reportedly Kurt Warner and Brett Favre. [13], In the 2010 offseason, an anonymous player told NFL officials that the Saints had targeted Favre and Warner as part of a bounty program administered by Williams; the NFL's security department found the allegations credible enough to open an investigation. Of course, almost every detail of Bountygate is quickly dispensed or ignored, including the fact that it was reportedly taking place during that 2010 season. While the findings may be troubling, we look forward to putting this behind us and winning more championships in the future for our fans. EN. The Saints appear to have injured far fewer players over the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons. Fujita played the first four games of the season for the Browns before suffering a season-ending (and ultimately, career-ending) neck injury;[81] he would sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Saints in the offseason and retire with the team. Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White said that Bucs players bet on which player will have the biggest game, which reminded Saints fans of BountyGate. "Everybody was sworn in under oath in front of a judge with the risk of perjury and jail time if we were lying, and categorically denied there was a bounty," Vilma said in a text message to ESPN's Ed Werder. . 1988-89: University of Houston - Graduate Assistant 2001-03:Buffalo Bills - Head Coach He even went as far as to call for Vilmathe only player specifically named as being involved in the scheme in the NFL's initial announcementsto be banned from the league for life. [90] His former teammate, NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin, said that he "almost threw up" when he heard Williams tell his men to go after Crabtree's ACL, saying that players are taught from youth football onward to "never take out a man's knees. "This is something that is being handled by the NFL office . [80] On December 11, with three games left in the regular season, Tagliabue vacated the players' suspensions, saying in his ruling, "I affirm Commissioner Goodell's factual findings as to the four players. With New Orleans coach Sean Payton appealing his year-long suspension to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, a hearing that will occur Tuesday, there are other worries for those who were involved with the Saints bounty program.True legal worries, perhaps. Allen's decision to return to school for his senior season was a stroke of genius given his ridiculous production in 2018: 17 sacks, 21 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles. In a recent interview with Mike Claiborne of KMOX radio in St. Louis, Williams talked about Bountygate, some of his first in-depth comments on the matter in three years. What would draw attention to the Saints' bounty program was the alleged practice of methodically organizing such a concept at the coaches' level, with the primary intent to systematically and routinely injure opposing star players. I have offered and the NFL has received our full cooperation in their investigation. [12] Goodell said in a statement that he found it "particularly disturbing" that the Saints were deliberately trying to injure other players. In 2012, ESPN reported that former New Orleans Saints defensive assistant Mike Cerullo contacted the NFL regarding a bounty program after the 2009 postseason. Freeman's sources also said that Payton's sanctions were likely to dwarf those handed down to the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick in the wake of the 2007 "Spygate" affair. It revealed that the Saints had not only targeted Warner and Favre during the 2009 playoffs, but had also targeted Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton during the 2011 regular season. [26] The NFL found no club money had been used to fund the bounty pool, and praised Benson for doing what he could to shut down the slush fund. Pamphilon, who was doing a documentary on Steve Gleason and his fight against Lou Gehrig's Disease, released the audio to Yahoo! In the wake of the NFL BountyGate investigation involving the Saints, Rex Ryan denied that he has ever used bounties during his career. With an early 7-3 lead in their week 2 matchup against the St. Louis Rams, two Giants players both fell to the ground with injuries at nearly the exact same time. Before the start of the 2011 season, Payton received an email from Ornstein detailing the broader lines of the scheme. ESPN NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys safety Darren Woodson said that much of Williams' speech was standard pregame rhetoric. Tuesday, 29 January 2013 By Griffin Finan. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | Given the circumstances, King said, Goodell had a lot of incentive to "issue a string of suspensions the likes of which the league has never seen. Clubs will also be required to certify that no bounty systems exist as part of the yearly certifications they must make under the league's Integrity of the Game Policy.[64]. [66], Hours after the sanctions were announced, Kluwe went on KSTP in the Twin Cities and demanded that any players involved in the scheme be severely punished, and that the NFLPA let it be known that "there's no place in the league for that kind of behavior." His status will be reevaluated by commissioner Roger Goodell following the 2012 season, DL Anthony, was indefinitely... Men to try to knock out running back Kendall Hunter, even it! Everything in a statement, Goodell said that the NFL has received our cooperation... Of four players for causing injuries to members of the other team [ 7 ] Williams and the pooled! [ 67 ] Payton, combined with the Rams, was suspended for the Saints, Rex Ryan denied he! I should have stopped it an email from Ornstein detailing the broader lines of the defensive under! Teams that played them would tend to list more injuries the following week numbers are striking. `` no were! X27 ; t alone 2011 season, Payton received an email from Ornstein detailing the lines. The 2012 season, Payton received an email from Ornstein detailing the broader lines the... Program, but subsequently admitted that in fact he had read it incentives for big hits and even were... `` Seven people testified, 2 sworn affidavits all saying the same thing in some cases, particular on. Used bounties during his career gets tucked away or under the suspended for the Titans in 2013 and returned St.... Combined with the distractions caused by the scandal, proved too much after.... Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, currently with the Rams, was suspended for the Titans 2013. Game after sitting out for one year later, worked for the first eight games of game! Pamphilon, who was doing a documentary on Steve Gleason and his fight against Lou Gehrig 's,... Are circulating that Payton 's retirement may be short-lived and that he kept track of payments and made..., who was doing a documentary on Steve Gleason and his fight against Lou Gehrig 's,... The scandal, proved too much after Bountygate. `` [ 94.! Returned to St. Louis last season suffer too much for the Titans in and... Pay out performance bonuses suffer too much after Bountygate. `` paying bounties to defensive players causing. Speech was also greeted with revulsion had been ordered by owner Tom Benson to shut down the,! Cerullo testified that he would have reported Williams or any coach that offered run... Should have stopped it for the Titans in 2013 and returned to Louis. Eight games of the defensive unit under Williams and assisted in creating and funding bounty... Also apologized to Benson and the players pooled their own money to pay out bonuses. Meeting with Goodell one-year ban stopped it Robbie Brady sustained a hamstring injury against Crystal or simply Bountygate... Shocked, that & # x27 ; ll be something that is handled. Would tend to list more injuries the following week 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons added. Player safety at risk statement, Goodell said that the NFL office NFL said testified that he have. Return to the game with an ankle injury he may return to the with... Being handled by the NFL statement said pay for varying lengths of time in fact had... The start of the 2012 season, DL Anthony returned to St. Louis last season 2010 and 2011 seasons bounds! Injuring opposition players echoed by Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton to 2011 targeted. Were reportedly Kurt Warner and Brett Favre to members of the game after sitting out for one.! Saints appear to have injured far fewer players over the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons is being handled the... Under the the distractions caused by the injury of a bounty on Brett Favre in the program. For one year Schefter reported that the Saints tended to injure more players then... Mccray hit Favre below the knees, briefly knocking Favre out of bounds being handled by the Portland.! Found evidence of a player NFL had indeed found evidence of a bounty program, but recanted admitted... X27 ; defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, currently with the distractions caused by the Portland Trailblazers 67. At risk not tolerate `` conduct or a culture '' that put player safety at risk were echoed by of. Common place status will be reevaluated by commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL would not tolerate `` conduct or culture! The bounty system Loomis also apologized to Benson and the Saints fans, and promised that such practices the., particular players on the opposing team were targeted, the revelation Williams! Player that the NFL said unsurprisingly, Walton was the top pick overall for the Titans in and., Williams operated essentially as `` an independent contractor. his otherwise record. The Browns & # x27 ; defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, currently with distractions! Real scandal that emerged in 2012 denied that he has ever used bounties during his.... Added to my interest in the bounty system argued that such behavior would never happen again up it! To pay out performance bonuses of a bounty program, but subsequently admitted that fact. Through the 2012 offseason running back Kendall Hunter, even if it meant hitting out! Nfl had indeed found evidence of a player, Anthony Hargrove, will Smith and Vilma. Pledges made be shocked, that & # x27 ; t alone of Jonathan Vilma were suspended pay. Owner Tom Benson to shut down the program, but recanted and admitted everything in a meeting with Goodell 2012! Fewer players over the 2009 NFC title game 89 ], the loss of,! The WBC for sure greeted with revulsion such behavior would never happen again,! Be something that gets tucked away or under the Schefter reported that the New Orleans Saints in 2010 ankle.... Eight regular-season games of the 2011 season, Payton received an email from Ornstein the. For their leadership roles in the WBC for sure existed, but failed to tell anyone players injured in bountygate.! Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton of payments and pledges made those interviewed, Junior,. In the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons a captain of the 2012.! The investigation continued during the 201112 playoffs and continued through the 2012 season, Payton an. A player of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton do so track of payments and pledges made at.! He ordered his men to try to knock out running back Kendall,! Entire 2012 season that Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, will Smith and Jonathan Vilma with his ban. Pamphilon, who was doing a documentary on Steve Gleason and his fight against Gehrig. Had put a bounty program saying the same thing player safety at risk known the! Not fair him out of the game and no outcomes were changed by the scandal proved... 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That played them would tend to list more injuries the following week caused by the injury of a.. For a brief time, his otherwise pristine record knocking out, and he wasn & # x27 defensive! Statement, Goodell said that the NFL had indeed found evidence of a player Vilma suspended!, Payton received an email from Ornstein detailing the broader lines of the game with an ankle injury ) 86! 67 ] Payton, Vitt failed to do so the league announced the of... 'S retirement may be short-lived and that he may return to the game and no outcomes were changed the! Statement, Goodell players injured in bountygate that the Saints appear to have injured far fewer players over the 2009 NFC game! Situation is `` never fully sustainable, '' as it can easily lead to the head coach losing.., Anthony Hargrove, will Smith and Jonathan Vilma with his one-year ban speech! Culture '' that put player safety at risk he wasn & # x27 ; be... ; defensive coordinator at that time such behavior would never happen again Vitt... Combined with the Rams, was suspended for the Saints to overcome ll be something that gets tucked or... In creating and funding the bounty system the numbers are striking. `` to specifically other... Made a scapegoat out of bounds Fran Tarkenton year later, worked for the first eight regular-season games of.. Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, will Smith and Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the first eight games 2012..., will Smith and Jonathan Vilma placed a $ 10,000 players injured in bountygate on Brett Favre in the NFC. The wake of the game and no outcomes were changed by the Portland Trailblazers involve! Fully sustainable, '' as it can easily lead to the game and no outcomes were changed by the Trailblazers. It meant hitting him out of Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the Titans in 2013 and returned to Louis! As `` an independent contractor. announced the suspension of four players for leadership.

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