http://www.cnn.com/2012/0...ine/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
CNN) -- In sweeping discipline that one analyst
called "historic," New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton was
suspended without pay for the entire 2012 season and former Saints
defensive coach Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely in a series on
NFL punishments Wednesday for the team's bounty program against
opponents.
<p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2">Under the bounties, the team paid bonuses for knocking opposing players out of a game, the NFL said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3">Saints General Manager
Mickey Loomis was suspended without pay for the first eight
regular-season games of the 2012 season, the NFL said. Assistant Head
Coach Joe Vitt was suspended without pay for the first six
regular-season games, the league said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4">The team was also fined
$500,000, and the team will forfeit its second-round draft picks in 2012
and 2013, the National Football League said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5">NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell will review the status of Williams, now with the St. Louis Rams,
at the end of the season and whether to reinstate him, the league said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph6">In issuing the
punishments, Goodell described the Saints' violations of league rules
"particularly unusual and egregious." He added that "a strong and
lasting message must be sent."</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph7">Goodell said he is
reviewing with the NFL Players Association discipline for players
involved in the bounty program and he will address the matter at a later
date.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8">One sports analyst, Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated, said the discipline is "historic."</p>
<a name="em1"></a><div class="cnn_strylftcntnt cnn_strylftcexpbx" id="expand19">
<cite class="expCaption"><span>Brees: Bounty issue a 'black eye'</span></cite></div><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph9">"One of the reasons they
could be so strong against the Saints was that there was a paper trail,"
Trotter said, referring to e-mails.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph10">"I don't think other
teams would be dumb enough to put it in writing," Trotter said of the
bounty system. "I definitely believe they are trying to make an example
of them."</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph11">The NFL already is
facing class-action lawsuits from former players of various teams who
claimed that league play led to concussions, head trauma and chronic
traumatic encephalopathy, a dementia-like brain disease.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph12">"The league has to be concerned about lawsuits," Trotter said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph13">The NFL investigation
found the Saints had an "active bounty program" during the 2009, 2010
and 2011 seasons in which "bounty" payments were paid for "knock-outs"
and "cart-offs" -- plays in which an opposing player had to leave the
game, the league said in a statement. The bounties even identified
specific players as targets, the league said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14">The investigation found
that the Saints showed "a deliberate effort to conceal the program's
existence from league investigators, and a clear determination to
maintain the program despite express direction from Saints ownership
that it stop as well as ongoing inquiries from the league office," the
NFL said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph15">Goodell said the "pay-for-performance" program "undermined the integrity of the game."</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph16">The league found that
Payton, as head coach, failed to supervise players and coaches, didn't
inquire into the facts of the bounty program though he was aware of the
league's inquiries, and encouraged "the false denials by instructing
assistants to 'make sure our ducks are in a row,' " the NFL statement
said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph17">Added Goodell: "When
there is targeting of players for injury and cash rewards over a
three-year period, the involvement of the coaching staff, and three
years of denials and willful disrespect of the rules, a strong and
lasting message must be sent that such conduct is totally unacceptable
and has no place in the game.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph18">"Beyond the clear and
continuing violations of league rules, and lying to investigators, the
bounty program is squarely contrary to the league's most important
initiatives -- enhancing player health and safety and protecting the
integrity of the game," the commissioner continued.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph19">"Let me be clear. There
is no place in the NFL for deliberately seeking to injure another
player, let alone offering a reward for doing so," Goodell said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph20">On his Twitter account,
Saints quarterback Drew Brees wrote: "I am speechless. Sean Payton is a
great man, coach, and mentor. The best there is. I need to hear an
explanation for this punishment."</p>
CNN) -- In sweeping discipline that one analyst
called "historic," New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton was
suspended without pay for the entire 2012 season and former Saints
defensive coach Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely in a series on
NFL punishments Wednesday for the team's bounty program against
opponents.
<p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2">Under the bounties, the team paid bonuses for knocking opposing players out of a game, the NFL said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph3">Saints General Manager
Mickey Loomis was suspended without pay for the first eight
regular-season games of the 2012 season, the NFL said. Assistant Head
Coach Joe Vitt was suspended without pay for the first six
regular-season games, the league said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4">The team was also fined
$500,000, and the team will forfeit its second-round draft picks in 2012
and 2013, the National Football League said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5">NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell will review the status of Williams, now with the St. Louis Rams,
at the end of the season and whether to reinstate him, the league said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph6">In issuing the
punishments, Goodell described the Saints' violations of league rules
"particularly unusual and egregious." He added that "a strong and
lasting message must be sent."</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph7">Goodell said he is
reviewing with the NFL Players Association discipline for players
involved in the bounty program and he will address the matter at a later
date.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8">One sports analyst, Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated, said the discipline is "historic."</p>
<a name="em1"></a><div class="cnn_strylftcntnt cnn_strylftcexpbx" id="expand19">
could be so strong against the Saints was that there was a paper trail,"
Trotter said, referring to e-mails.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph10">"I don't think other
teams would be dumb enough to put it in writing," Trotter said of the
bounty system. "I definitely believe they are trying to make an example
of them."</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph11">The NFL already is
facing class-action lawsuits from former players of various teams who
claimed that league play led to concussions, head trauma and chronic
traumatic encephalopathy, a dementia-like brain disease.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph12">"The league has to be concerned about lawsuits," Trotter said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph13">The NFL investigation
found the Saints had an "active bounty program" during the 2009, 2010
and 2011 seasons in which "bounty" payments were paid for "knock-outs"
and "cart-offs" -- plays in which an opposing player had to leave the
game, the league said in a statement. The bounties even identified
specific players as targets, the league said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph14">The investigation found
that the Saints showed "a deliberate effort to conceal the program's
existence from league investigators, and a clear determination to
maintain the program despite express direction from Saints ownership
that it stop as well as ongoing inquiries from the league office," the
NFL said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph15">Goodell said the "pay-for-performance" program "undermined the integrity of the game."</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph16">The league found that
Payton, as head coach, failed to supervise players and coaches, didn't
inquire into the facts of the bounty program though he was aware of the
league's inquiries, and encouraged "the false denials by instructing
assistants to 'make sure our ducks are in a row,' " the NFL statement
said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph17">Added Goodell: "When
there is targeting of players for injury and cash rewards over a
three-year period, the involvement of the coaching staff, and three
years of denials and willful disrespect of the rules, a strong and
lasting message must be sent that such conduct is totally unacceptable
and has no place in the game.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph18">"Beyond the clear and
continuing violations of league rules, and lying to investigators, the
bounty program is squarely contrary to the league's most important
initiatives -- enhancing player health and safety and protecting the
integrity of the game," the commissioner continued.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph19">"Let me be clear. There
is no place in the NFL for deliberately seeking to injure another
player, let alone offering a reward for doing so," Goodell said.</p><p class="cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph20">On his Twitter account,
Saints quarterback Drew Brees wrote: "I am speechless. Sean Payton is a
great man, coach, and mentor. The best there is. I need to hear an
explanation for this punishment."</p>