comprehensive investigation find Saints defense and coaches guilty...

[Mr_Tomahawk]

Jason La Canfora ‏ @JasonLaCanfora Close
NFL announces a comprehensive investigation find Saints defense and coaches guilty of violating NFL rules by having bounties on opponents..

Jason La Canfora ‏ @JasonLaCanfora Close
Much, much more to come of this and will get the entire press release out ASAP

Adam Schefter ‏ @AdamSchefter Close
NFL security determined between 22 and 27 defensive players on the Saints, as well as at least one asst. coach, maintained a bounty program.

Adam Schefter ‏ @AdamSchefter Close
Investigation reviewed 18.000 documents totaling more than 50,000 pages. Commissioner Goodell will determine the discipline.

Adam Schefter ‏ @AdamSchefter Close
NFL determined that former Saints DC Gregg Williams administered the program with knowledge of other defensive coaches.

Adam Schefter ‏ @AdamSchefter Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
Discipline for the Saints could include fines, suspensions and forfeiture of draft choices.

Adam Schefter ‏ @AdamSchefter Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
NFL investigation of Saints began in 2010 when allegations were made that Saints targeted QBs such as Brett Favre and Kurt Warner.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I'd be surprised if it did. But in terms of money... This sounds like it was an organized gambling ring. Hell... Lets go here. What would happen if a guy put a million dollars down in Vegas then added 25k to he pool to take out peytons legs? More innocently, what if you had a high dollar fantasy football player contributing to the pool to take out heir opponents players. The outside influence is going to be a very interesting issue.

Yes, the outside money can't be tolerated. Furthermore, whatever money is used to pay these bounties, whether it comes from player fines or owner contributions, needs to be accounted for under the cap. IMO.

Edit: I suppose it's hard to figure out what funds come from outside versus what funds come from the owner if the owner launders everything. In that case, as long as the money going to the players is above the table, I wouldn't have much problem with it.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

What the hell are you talking about?

People get fired ALL THE TIME in the NFL. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. The turnover rate is incredible. It's all results oriented though. Getting the job done is more important than getting the job done ethically.

Can you honestly say there are no real world professions that reflect this kind of thinking? I would disagree with you on that.

I think the point is about guys getting fired from football altogether.

Sure guys get fired all the time from one team or another but they instantly surface elsewhere.

Hell, the man at the center of this controversy has allegedly had bounty programs in AT LEAST 3 places OTHER than where he is currently employed.

[MOhillbilly]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

If the money was coming from the team or outside sources, this is a serious salarycap violation. Not to mention the IRS implications and huge potential for gambling connections.

I would be shocked.

[Okie_Apparition]

The rumor now is the Saints were told to stop doing it
but they didn't & there's proof of it

[MOhillbilly]

Show me proof.

[qabbaan]

I don't see what the big deal is. This only confirms that players are doing their job. Hitting the QB and getting knockdowns that add up over the course of a game is part of the sport.

[FringeNC]

Obviously, from a PR and legal liability standpoint, this stuff can't be tolerated. I just wonder how much it really affected player behavior -- given the possibility of fines, was the "bounty" large enough to do anything?

[Okie_Apparition]

Sports Center was saying that

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by qabbaan

I don't see what the big deal is. This only confirms that players are doing their job. Hitting the QB and getting knockdowns that add up over the course of a game is part of the sport.

Read the thread. This isn't just a moral issue.

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by qabbaan

I don't see what the big deal is. This only confirms that players are doing their job. Hitting the QB and getting knockdowns that add up over the course of a game is part of the sport.

Trying to injure or end the career of a fellow player is not part of the sport. It is the definition of anti-sportsmanship.

[Hydrae]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

I think the point is about guys getting fired from football altogether.

Sure guys get fired all the time from one team or another but they instantly surface elsewhere.

Hell, the man at the center of this controversy has allegedly had bounty programs in AT LEAST 3 places OTHER than where he is currently employed.

This is why I think Williams should be banned from the league. No amount of suspension or fine is going to keep him from doing this again.

[Skyy God]

I'm shocked, shocked that there's violence in football.

Big Red, professed champion of player safety. Just gathering goodwill for his subsequent push for an 18 game season.

[stonedstooge]

I don't agree with outside monies entering the equation, but how the hell do you punish players or coaches for doing what they get paid for? Do you think when they look at film after a game, even if a hit is flagged, the players and coaches aren't hooting and hollering when a player lights up another?

[Okie_Apparition]

I hope the 27 players have real accounts & not some relative handling their finances
audits out the ass

[FAX]

It seems that, more and more, I find myself disagreeing with the hive-mind.

As a scientist, media consultant, and shrunken head collector, I have to say that there is a certain hypocrisy to the media's treatment of this story that is practically disgusting. ESPN, the NFL, and every sports rag and site in the world glorifies big hits and the bigger the better.

Football is a violent sport. It is a celebration of violence. There is great skill involved, to be sure, but world class synchronized swimmers also demonstrate great skill and few could care less. In large measure, football is popular because the risk of injury is ever present.

The media says, "We don't want to see anybody hurt." but that's not exactly true. The director calls for a close up of the player writhing on the ground. We see countless replays of the biggest hits of the week. We hear the fans applaud the brave gladiator as he is carted off the field in a neck brace. Meanwhile, we rarely see stories about the disabled ex-player enduring constant pain from the beating his body sustained while the NFL and the NFLPA essentially ignores their suffering.

Then, when you add a financial component, suddenly the media are aghast? The same media that itself profits enormously from the game?

What a world we live in.

FAX