N.O. Saints

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After more “Scrutiny On The Bounty” by Goodell, four players are punished

Posted by fantasyfurnace on May 2, 2012
Posted in: General. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 comment
The fallout from the Bounty Scandal continued today as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that four players were to receive full or part suspensions for the upcoming 2012 season.
Saints Middle Linebacker Jonathan Vima, former first round pick of the N.Y. Jets, received the longest supension of all the other three players; a one year ban for the entire season. Ex-N.O. Saints defensive end Anthony Hargrove, now with the Green Bay Packers, recieved an eight game suspension; Another ex-Saint linebacker Scott Fujita will miss three games. Finally, Saints defensive end Will Smith was hit with a four game suspension.

#51 Middle Linebacker has been banned for the entire 2012 season for his part in the Bounty scandal. Photo: AP Photo/Seth Perlman

In our post written when the news of Bounty Gate first was uncovered, I said that Goodell would and should come down hard on all those involded and he exceeded my greatest expectations with his mandates.
Of all the players who had an active role in the scandal, it was clear that Vilma, the most involved of the four, would receive the stiffest punishment. Remember that the NFL discovered that it was Vilma who offered that $10,000 reward for any Saints player who would successfully take out then Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner as well as Vikings quarterback Brett Favre (in two 2009 playoff games).
It was Vilma, or so the league has ‘claimed’, that funded and helped set up the pay for play system along with DC Gregg Williams. That would explain why the commissioner came down so heavy on him. I strongly disagreed with what Vilma was reported to have done months ago and have not waivered from that stance. This to me has no place in the game of football. And for those who would say that “this is done ALL the time in the NFL, it’s amazing how we have never heard of anyone else doing what Vilma did.
So clearly, the next step is for the players who were singled out by Goodell to run to the shirttails of the NFL Players Association in order to prepare for some sort of fight in order to gain relief from the harsh punishmnets. I’m not sure how successful they will be as my intuition tells me that Commissioner Goodell did not hand down these suspensions/edicts without a ton of evidence first.
This is what the Commissioner had to say earlier on Wednesday: “No bounty program can exist without active player participation,” Goodell said. “The evidence clearly showed that the players being held accountable today willingly and enthusiastically embraced the bounty program. Players put the vast majority of the money into this program and they share responsibility for playing by the rules and protecting each other within those rules.” Pretty much sums up what only can be referred to as a form of ‘organized crime’.

“No bounty program can exist without active player participation,” Goodell said on Wednesday. AP Photo/David Phillipy

You have to admit he took his time before rendering these decisions and my guess is that it was to conduct interviews and analyze what he’s been told throughout his long investigation. Nothing would draw such negative publicity upon himself and the league if it was dicovered that these four players were innocent of what they’re accused of doing.
DC Gregg Williams who has been suspended indefinitley has stated publicly that he has no intention of appealing. If that doesn’t suggest a strong sign of guilt then I don’t know what does. I know if I believe that I’m innocent of crimes against me, I’m appealing within every ounce of my being.
With the four players being called out today by Goodell, it has put to rest the ‘punishment’ phase of the worst scandal to hit the NFL in it’s existence. In an effort  to prevent any future such practices from reoccuring, a memo was sent to all 32 franchises Wednesday reemphasizing that any program involving non-contract bonuses violates league rules like higher-paid veterans contributing to a fund rewarding special-teams players for key tackles and forced turnovers.
Lastly, as I suggested months ago, I expect to hear about civil suits being initiated by many of those who directly and indirectly were affected by the this scandal of ‘Pay for Play’, ‘Cart-Offs’, and ‘Knock-Outs’; words that should never be associated with football or any sport for that matter. Those cases and subsequent litigation will continue for years to come , and although Bounty Gate is over, it will be a long time before it’s fotgotten…
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Some Final Thoughts On ‘Bountygate’

Posted by fantasyfurnace on March 30, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 6 comments

Now that a few weeks have gone by since NFL Commisioner Roger Goodell has levied punishments against the New Orleans Saints, including the coaches and G.M. who new about and or took part in the ‘Cash for Injury’ scheme, the only judgements that need to still be handed down by the NFL are the fines/suspensions of the players directly involved, such as Jonathan Vilma.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is still reviewing the evidence regarding players on the Saints, like Jonathan Vilma, who were directly involved in the outlay of money in the Bountygate scandal. Photo: matthew Sharpe/Getty Images

And as we have suggested when the whole ‘Bountygate’ issue was first exposed, there will undoubtedly be many civil suits that will flood the courts filed by those who feel they are the victims of  this scandal. Some people think that is the reason that Goodell came down so hard…

We had chosen to hold off on our take on the events surrounding this whole ‘Bountygate’ situation until all the fallout from the comments , blogs , and talk shows have all been discussed and rehashed adnauseum . To all those who think that Goodell was ‘too tough’ on the Saints and that ‘this is the way football is supposed‘ to be played, we have this to say:

It doesn’t matter why Goodell came down on the Saints the way he did. We applaud him for it. This kind of ‘Pay for Play’ practice, whether it has been going on for one year or 40, has a negative affect on the intergrity of the game and it’s illegal! If left to fester unscathed, why couldn’t this practice transcend itself into other sports?

A flagrant 2 hard foul -like the one Jason Smith levied on Blake Griffin a week ago yesterday- could have taken Griffin out for the season or worse. Or the flagrant foul by Dwight Howard on Paul Pierce in the Eastern Conf. Finals in 2010. 

ORLANDO, FL - MAY 18: Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic comitts a flagrant foul against Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs. Photo: John Raoux/Getty Images

 A base runner taking out a second baseman or a catcher in baseball could have ‘ulterior motives’ that can cause season ending injuries. A pitcher could have a bounty on a batter and get extra $$ for plunking him hard enough so that he is forced to leave the game. Maybe he gets more money if the player ends up on the DL… Same goes for Hockey, Soccer, and a whole host of sports.

This scheme that has been fostering within the Saints organization, as well as among other football teams, has been a cancer that needed to be removed. Roger Goodell has begun to remove this desease from the most popular sport on the planet. Unlike Bud Selig or David Stern, Roger Goodell has been one of the most effective, well-respected, and popular of all sports commissioners. The Saints were asked several times in the past couple of years to stop what they were doing. They chose not not listen.  All Goodell did was to draw a line in the sand and say, “Enough”!  And for that he is to be commended…

N.O. Saints G.M Mickey Loomis, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and Saints head coach Sean Payton.
Photo: Getty Images

The New Orleans Sinners Are No Saints. What Goodell Should Do…

Posted by fantasyfurnace on March 4, 2012
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 12 comments

As more and more information comes out regarding ‘Bountygate’, we came up with some of the determinations and decisions that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will have to face and then impose on the cast of characters and organization who were involved in this whole ‘Pay for Play’ operation.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will have some tough decisions to make when he determines what punishments will be levied against some of the players, coaches and the New Orleans Saints organization. Photo: news.yahoo.com

First, however I want to address all of the football purists out there who say things like, “It’s just part of the game.” Or “Teams have been involved with some sort of ‘Pay for Play’ scheme for decades!” Unfortunately,  these comments are totally true, except for one minor detail. It’s wrong and more importantly, illegal.

In fact, the league continues to come out with new ways, every year, to protect players from injury. From what a defensive back can and cannot do to the quarterback, to what a cornerback or safety cannot do to a ‘defenseless’ receiver, Roger Goodell has gone out of his way to find ways to lessen the brutality that professional football can inspire.

This whole ‘Bountygate’ conspiracy, which has now been documented, has been going on within the Saints organization for 3 years now and, with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams at the helm, took place for another 3 years in Washington with the Redskins as well. Was Williams the first to institute this barbaric type of defensive schemes? Probably not. Should he be the last one to orchestrate and authorize such a devious plot against opposing players? Absolutely!

So how will that come to pass? What does the Commissioner have to do to stop or at best minimize these types of prolific  and horrific covert actions of other coordinators and/or coaches? He needs to draw a line in the sand and instill a zero tolerance policy for any actions even remotely similar to what was just uncovered by the NFL legal authorities in New Orleans.

Given the actions taken by Goodell after the now infamous ‘Spygate” ordeal a few years back, it’s originator, Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and the New England Patriots $250,000. Clearly, ‘Spygate’ was in no way as serious a conspiracy as ‘Bountygate’  because no one was targeted for injury. Given those penalties, this is what the commissioner has to do in order to send his true message of zero tolerance:

Headcoach Sean Payton: $1M He might not have orchestrated the plan but he knew about it and let it continue under his watch.

Owner Tom Benson: $500,000 If you’re thinking he should receive some leniency because after being made aware of this situation he approached General Manager Mickey Loomis and asked him to put a stop to this, then you do not know how to run a business. When something as abhorrent and serious as a ‘Pay for Play’ rule is instituted in your organization, you don’t “ask” your G.M. to stop it. You call a meeting with everyone under your employ and you say, “This stops today!!” If I hear or see that it hasn’t, those individuals will be fired immediately!” That’s what a concerned profesional owner does. Benson didn’t.

General Manager Mickey Loomis- $500,000 This is the man who not only was aware of what was happening, but had every opportunity to stop it after being requested to so by his boss, owner Tom Benson, but decided to look the other way. What example did he set?

Linebacker Jonathan Vilma- Suspension for 6 games. This is a seasoned veteran who should know better. Instead he put up $10,000 for anyone that would hit Brett Favre hard enough to knock him out of a game. The combination of money and lack of playing time would hurt him where it would do the most damage. In society, it’s a felony to pay someone to hurt, maim, or kill another person(s), so why should it be legal in the NFL?

QB Brett Favre being removed from the field after being hit in NFC Championship game vs the Saints, 1/24/10 Photo: news.yahoo.com

Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams- Suspension from the league for 2 seasons without pay. Seems harsh does it? Well, when you break it down he would realize a 1 year suspension for the three years he practiced this form of ‘paid violence’ in Washington, and 1 year for the three years he did this in New Orleans. Not sure, but with this type of punishment, Williams probably will never do this again…if he’s ever hired again. Ah, but he said he was sorry…well, as ESPN’s Michael Kay’s Dad always said, “Sorrys don’t fix the wheel.”

Saints'Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams, Now with the St. Louis Rams, apologized on Friday for his part in the Pay for Play scheme. Photo: news.yahoo.com

New Orleans Saints- It would not be unreasonable for the commissioner to punish the franchise by taking away their 1st and perhaps even their 2nd round draft picks in this years NFL draft. The team has hurt their franchise and the NFL. Now it’s time for the Saints to pay for their transgressions.

Roger Goodell and the National Football League have been given a collective black eye in all this controversy. That black eye needs to heal and heal quickly. A slap on the wrist won’t cut it given the offense that was instituted in this case. Bounty hunting, paying someone or a group of people to hurt or injure others purposely , is illegal in sports and in society. It took long enough for this practice to surface and be uncovered. Nip it in the bud Commissioner so it will have less of a chance to reek its ugly head a second time.