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. On May 2, the league announced the suspension of four players for their leadership roles in the bounty system. The New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, colloquially known as "Bountygate," was an incident in which members of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) were accused of paying out bonuses, or "bounties," for injuring players on opposing teams.The pool was alleged to have been in operation from 2009 (the year in which the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV) to 2011. 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. [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. In the "Bountygate" scandal, the NFL suspended several Saintsincluding head coach Sean Payton and defensive captain Jonathan Vilmafor involvement in a system, allegedly run by defensive. [34] Chicago Tribune NFL analyst Matt Bowen, who played for the Redskins at the time, later wrote in one of his regular columns that the bounty pool was funded by fines for mistakes made during practice and in games, and insisted similar systems operated on other teams. 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. [42], Former safety Ryan Clark, who played under Williams in Washington from 20042005 and himself was fined by the NFL $40,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit against Baltimore Ravens tight end Ed Dickson during the 2011 season,[43] defended Williams, saying that he never ran a bounty program with the Redskins and has yet to see one during his time in the NFL. 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. Sports without Gleason's approval. The quick version is that the New Orleans Saints were paying bounties to defensive players for causing injuries to members of the other team. 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. As a result, he went to Texas to coach his son's youth football team. 1994-96: Houston Oilers - Linebackers Coach 1988-89: University of Houston - Graduate Assistant In football, a player is running the risk of being injured regardless of any bounty scheme in effect. Vitt, who had been tabbed as a possible candidate to serve as interim coach in Payton's absence, was suspended for the first six games of the 2012 season. However, they didn't agree on whether there were rewards for intentionally injuring players. New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma is one of four players suspended for their roles in the "bountygate" scandal. [58], On March 21, 2012, the NFL issued sanctions to Saints coaches and front-office personnel for their roles in the scandal. Since then, Williams has been accused of operating similar schemes during his tenure as defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Oilers/Titans and (since renamed) Washington Redskins and as head coach of the Buffalo Bills; the NFL briefly investigated these allegations but elected to focus on the Saints. [15] Cerullo was released after the 2009 postseason for poor performance and lying about personal leave according to the New Orleans Saints. "[46], On March 3, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported that the NFL intended to hand down penalties before the owners' meeting in late March. This provision is normally used to sanction off-field conduct. Lombardi claimed that as a result, Williams operated essentially as "an independent contractor." According to Woodson, when Williams called for his men to "attack the head" of running back Frank Gore, he was saying that the 49ers' offense would be rendered ineffective if they managed to shut Gore down. It is the obligation of everyone, including the players on the field, to ensure that rules designed to promote player safety, fair play, and the integrity of the game are adhered to and effectively and consistently enforced, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement announcing the suspensions. The National Football League Players Association or NFLPA is a labor union representing National Football League NFL players. [7][12], Benson issued a statement on the Saints' Website saying, "I have been made aware of the NFLs findings relative to the Bounty Rule and how it relates to our club. After seeing the NFLs decision letters, the NFLPA has still not received any detailed or specific evidence from the league of these specific players involvement in an alleged pay-to-injure program, Smith said in a statement. The NFL determined that Vilma and Smith helped Williams start the bounty program. Jonathan Polynice Vilma (born April 16, 1982) is a former American football linebacker and current Fox NFL analyst. Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Vilma offered a specific bounty $10,000 in cash to any player who knocked Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner out of the 2009 Divisional Playoff Game and later pledged the same amount to anyone who knocked Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game the following week, the statement said. However, of all coaches to have serious scandals tarnish their . 2008: Jacksonville Jaguars - Defensive Coordinator Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Despite the controversy, Payton is still seen as one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time for what he has done with the New Orleans Saints. Devin White has never been shy about . The NFL also previously announced the suspensions of Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis for the first eight regular-season games of the 2012 season and Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt for the first six regular-season games. In addition to the suspensions of Williams and Payton, the Saints were fined $500,000 and required to forfeit their second-round selections in the 2012 and 2013 NFL drafts. Such practices are forbidden and strictly punishable. After finishing 133 and reaching the Divisional round of the playoffs a year earlier, they finished 79 and missed the playoffs. Cerullo also states in the article, "I was angry for being let go from the Saints". Loomis was suspended for the first eight games of the 2012 season. [49] Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young, who has a law degree from BYU, suggested that anyone who had been injured during a Saints game during the scheme's existence has grounds for a lawsuit. GM Mickey Loomis was suspended without pay for the first eight regular-season games of 2012. "[41], Former NFL coach Tony Dungy later told Profootballtalk.com he was certain that Williams operated a similar bounty system while he was defensive coordinator of the Oilers/Titans from 1997 to 2000. He is the first head coach in modern NFL history to be suspended for any reason. [66] Later, Schefter said on ESPN's SportsCenter that league officials felt Payton was at least as guilty as Williams, despite initial focus on Williams' role as the mastermind in the scheme. Advertisement Bountygate Evidence and Audio On May 2, the league announced the suspension of four players for their leadership roles in the bounty system. During the 2010 investigation, Payton told Williams and Vitt to "make sure our ducks are in a row" when the league interviewed them. Kevin James stars in Netflix's 'Home Team', the movie inspired by Sean Payton and his "Bountygate" suspension. BREAKING NEWS MANCHESTER UNITED: Ten Hag will make changes in the FA Cup. [16] Cerullo testified that he kept track of payments and pledges made. Nonetheless, the loss of Payton, combined with the distractions caused by the scandal, proved too much for the Saints to overcome. For instance, a special teamer who downed a kick returner inside the receiving team's 20-yard-line earned $100. The player suspensions were vacated on technical grounds by an arbitration panel on Sept. 7, 2012, just two days before the Saints' season-opener. 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. Lombardi argued that such a situation is "never fully sustainable," as it can easily lead to the head coach losing control. Assistant head coach Joe Vitt was suspended for the first six games of the 2012 season. He claimed to have several thousand pages of evidence of this, but refused to show it to anyone. 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. The whole organization was fined $500,000, and they lost several draft picks. I take full responsibility for my role. Quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked six times, and nearly lost his voice when a Saints player kicked him in the throat. Photo Credit: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images Who is Sean Payton? The Saints organization was penalized with a $500,000 fine and forced to forfeit their second-round draft selections in 2012 and 2013. [47] The NFLPA asked the league to delay any sanctions until the union could conduct its own investigation. In his weekly "Monday Morning Quarterback" column on March 5, SI's Peter King wrote that he believed Williams faced at least an eight-game suspension, and that Payton and Loomis would almost certainly be suspended as well. [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. His status will be reevaluated by commissioner Roger Goodell following the 2012 season. Judges only have limited jurisdiction over arbitration issues. Several other stars, including quarterback Kurt Warner, were on the Saints' radar during a 'Bountygate' scandal between 2009-2011. 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. . That was a difficult year in a lot of ways because there was a lot of information that was misinformation that got out and Im the only person in the whole deal that never said anything, Williams said, via Scout by way of PFT. He also said that there would be zero tolerance for payments for in-game performance in the future, saying that payments for good play eventually escalate to bounties for deliberately injuring players. McCray hit Favre below the knees, briefly knocking Favre out of the game with an ankle injury. [69], The NFLPA requested that the league should hold off on any punishments for the players until it conducts its own investigation. When the game clock hit 00:00 last night in Broncos' victory over the Jets, head coach Vic Fangio sprinted across the field yelling at players to head "right to the f***ing locker room . Being the first NFL coach to ever be suspended for any reason, some believe Home Team glosses over the controversial Bountygate scandal too lightly. Instead, he said what some of the evidence was, and the media went to town taking his word for it. Players regularly contributed cash to a pool, which may have topped $50,000 at its peak. [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. By CM Lucas. At the same time there's a chance a guy's going to hit you, injuries happen, that's part of the game, that's why people are interested in it. Burnley: Winger Robbie Brady sustained a hamstring injury against Crystal . While Dungy did not speculate at the time about whether the Redskins targeted Manning on that play, he believes that hit ultimately caused the neck problems that sidelined Manning for the entire 2011 season and led to his departure for the Denver Broncos afterward. 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. Stroud, Rick. The NFL handed down punishment for the bounties on March 21, 2012. [12] Goodell said in a statement that he found it "particularly disturbing" that the Saints were deliberately trying to injure other players. [37] Ruben Brown, a guard for the Bills during Williams's time as coach there, denied there was any sort of bounty system in place in Buffalo,[38] a position reiterated by linebacker London Fletcher and then-general manager Tom Donahoe. He led them to their first and only Super Bowl win in 2009 and took the Saints to 9 playoff appearances, more than any coach in Saints history. Roger Goodell claimed the Saints had a system from 2009-2011 where they would pay to specifically injure other players. Williams was suspended indefinitely, and was banned from applying for reinstatement until the end of the 2012 season at the earliest. "[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. Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. "This is something that is being handled by the NFL office . 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. 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. There have been a few remarkable claims made in the five-plus weeks since the NFL first announced the discovery of a three-year bounty program in the Saints organization. The data-driven answer is a resounding 'no.' Payton initially denied knowing that this email existed, but subsequently admitted that in fact he had read it. Ive said this before, I take a look at all these high school programs, little league programs, college programs and you see the decals on the side of the helmet and you wonder, you get those decals because you shake hands and kiss after the game or you get those decals because you rushed for 100 and you threw 17 touchdown passes and you knocked the stuffing out of somebody? 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 . Roger Goodell's strict penalties for player misbehavior, and foul play on the field, haven't made him the most popular guy among NFL players. Go lay that motherfucker out." Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season, effective April 1. All four players can appeal the suspensions and would be entitled to a hearing and representation by counsel, the statement said. According to Wikipedia, members of the New Orleans Saints "were accused of paying out bonuses or bounties for injuring opposing team players." Please logout and login again. "[20] He was particularly upset that those involved had lied about the scheme on two separate investigations, and had denied that there was ever a bounty program in place. 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