Saints paid players to hurt foes

[Scott K]

Drew Brees tweeted that "someone has to explain this to me" and How great of a guy payton is...

Gimmie a f----n' break Drew! I wonder if thats what you would say if other teams put an injury bounty on your head!

Also, part of the evidence was that the saints had a bounty out on Aaron Rodgers last year in the opener... I wonder if he would have been permanantly injured in that game if the cheesehead fans would still be saying-" just another thing for vikings fans to whine about and use as an excuse, this is no big deal" like ive heard a bunch on already on this site. You cheeseheads are lucky the cheating saints didnt break his leg or give him another concussion...

But the Packers decided to block them, so they wouldnt get at Rodgers. The Vikings just opened the gate and let them in and walk all over Favre. If we had a good OL, they would have never gotten to him, and wouldnt have been a big deal.

But, I think they got off easy. They should have lost first, and second round picks for 13-14, i would include 12 in there, but they dont have a first round pick.

[james_walleye]

No they didn't wandering. I remember thinking after that game that there was no WAY Rodgers would make a full season if he took beatings like that game after game.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

That and Favre couldnt run and was a sitting duck back there. Rodgers can actually get away from somebody... good thing he did

[zepman]

If thats true it's fantastic news!

2nd rounders though? didn't the Pats lose a 1st rd pick or two?

It seems like Goodell is punishing the participants rather than the franchise itself. I was certainly expecting 1, if not 2, first rounders and this years second. Really was just a slap on the wrist for the franchise. Peyton and Williams...not so much!

[klecker]

quote]

It seems like Goodell is punishing the participants rather than the franchise itself. I was certainly expecting 1, if not 2, first rounders and this years second. Really was just a slap on the wrist for the franchise. Peyton and Williams...not so much!

[flipper]

Drew Brees tweeted that "someone has to explain this to me" and How great of a guy payton is...

Gimmie a f----n' break Drew! I wonder if thats what you would say if other teams put an injury bounty on your head!

Do you honestly think they didn't, or is just that its ok if you don't have a snitch on your team.

You think this bounty is why the players go after a quarterback???? I suppose you think they should just not pursue the quarterback, Oh, maybe we should change football into a no contact sport. I guess I thought that's why those zebras were on the field, so if there is an illegal hit you get penalized.

[flipper]

Where was all this outrage and sense of fair play when Brian Robison kicked TJ Lang in the groin and got congratulated for it on the Vikings sidelines???

[Antero]

Altho the bounty is important, in this case the real reason for all the fines and suspensions seems to be the cover-up and lying about it. All teams were warned about this, the Saints kept it up for a couple of yrs after being told not to and then lied to the Commish.

If they would have stopped it when told to it seems that if anythng a slap on the wrist would have sufficed.

The players will be judged next, by the NFL and the players assn. I saw today where Mr Vilma may be gone for a while. Stay tuned.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

No idea what you are trying to convey there flipper...

U one of those guys that thinks bounty pools are cool and every NFL player is just out there trying to injure the man across from him? If you cant see the difference between knocking someone out of the game with a good clean hit and TRYING TO INJURE and GETTING PAID FOR IT on top of your salary(circumventing the cap) by coaches and other players then i dont really know what to tell you

Whats Robison got to do with anything? You think the vikes had a pool for kicking other players in the nuts or something? RIIIIGGGGGHHHHHTTTTT

Robison got fined for that as he should have... whats your point?

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Saints players and fans all acting like they are being picked on now... Drew Brees, the face of the NFL players union, wondering why the stiff punishment when his team is front and center trying to injure the other players he represents!

Awefully tough to feel sorry for the saints right now... I hope they get destroyed all season long

[TR21HP]

This is bound to get the,"It's us against the world," mentality from the Saints that is hilarious today in pro sports.

[toughguy]

I was a joke to see NFL Network's own Warren Sapp out the "snitch" yesterday. What an idi0t. All of the other major sports news outlets haven't said anything in an effort to do the right thing but this idi0t can't hold back. They should can him.

[TR21HP]

Typical NFL thug mentality by Sapp from someone who calls himself "the Q.B. killa"

[LABS4ME]

Do you honestly think they didn't, or is just that its ok if you don't have a snitch on your team.

You think this bounty is why the players go after a quarterback???? I suppose you think they should just not pursue the quarterback, Oh, maybe we should change football into a no contact sport. I guess I thought that's why those zebras were on the field, so if there is an illegal hit you get penalized.

I think the NFL dished out the punishment because of the lying on the part of the Saints and the resulting cover-ups (great job on that) and being warned to end the bounty system and they didn't.

I'm sure most teams have players with a 'get the QB' mentality, the difference is the Saints chose to pay players additional money for injuring targeted players. No one is saying there should not be contact, but putting a premium on a guys head will usually result in cheap shots taken to be 'the man' to collect the ransom.

As far as the 'Zebras' calling the game, did you miss the '09 Championship game where Farve was destroyed? I still don't know what game they were officiating. They were letting them hit at will whenever, wherever, however they wanted... can't always rely on that to be a failsafe system. Those guys should be suspended from officiating for a year as well.

Good Luck!

Ken

[SkunkedAgain]

As a former official, I'll just state that it's difficult to referee games when the players get out of hand. I always had more of a let-them-play attitude but with a hard line when it got dangerous. The NFL has typically let players play more in the playoffs, that was until the 2003 Colts/Patriots championship game. Those rule changes/enforcements were more about how WR and CBs interacted. The 2009 championship game between the Vikings and Saints was overboard in terms of aggression. The refs lost control of the game when they didn't call those Saints players for penalties. At the time, I didn't blame the Saints. I thought that it was a great strategy to take a couple of 15-yard penalties in order to rattle Favre. In the end, we found out that their intentions were much worse.

[FISHINGURU]

I'm all for big hits and punishing defense, legally.

Purposely trying to injure a guy for extra money is not cool at all. When your boss comes to investigate it and you lie to him and cover it up and then continue to do it isn't a very good idea.

They got what they deserved period.

Robison kicked a guy in the junk in the heat of the moment, that's one player making a bad choice and he got fined for it. That happens, that has nothing to do with putting bounty's out to injure guys and take them out of the game/season/career.

[hawgchaser]

When I started teaching 40 years ago, I gave each class a list of rules/expectations on the first day of school for class behavior. I then gave a speech something like the following:

“Look at these and decide if you can abide by these. If you think some are unfair, now is the time to challenge them and get them changed. If you really believe they’re unfair, bring your parents or anyone else to argue for the change, because, as long as these are the rules, they will not be changed AFTER they are broken because you are unhappy with the consequences. If you make the wrong choices and violate these rules, you forfeit the right to determine the consequences for your violation. Making further wrong choices to cover the initial bad choice just means you forfeit more choices for the outcome to me.”

I’ve used this philosophy in almost every position of authority I’ve held…including as a parent. To me, this is the message Goodell communicated to the Saints 3 years ago. The Saints leadership made their choices to ignore, cover up, and lie and, in doing so, forfeited their right to direct the consequences now. Saints, quit whining! Shut up, Man up and get ready to play football!

“To make a mistake and not correct it is to make another mistake.”

[BartmanMN]

Great speech Hawg.

All this talk about the Saints, really brings back the painful memory of our loss. 12 guys in the huddle, come on. grrr.

[Scott K]

hawgchaser, excellent speech!

I tell my kids about the same thing. If you dont like a rule, talk to me about the rule, if you can give me a good reason to change the rule, I will do it. If you break the rule, then complain about the rule, you will only get punished more! The few times they break the rules, they know they did bad, and except their punishment.

[thatoneguy]

When I started teaching 40 years ago, I gave each class a list of rules/expectations on the first day of school for class behavior. I then gave a speech something like the following:

“Look at these and decide if you can abide by these. If you think some are unfair, now is the time to challenge them and get them changed. If you really believe they’re unfair, bring your parents or anyone else to argue for the change, because, as long as these are the rules, they will not be changed AFTER they are broken because you are unhappy with the consequences. If you make the wrong choices and violate these rules, you forfeit the right to determine the consequences for your violation. Making further wrong choices to cover the initial bad choice just means you forfeit more choices for the outcome to me.”

I’ve used this philosophy in almost every position of authority I’ve held…including as a parent. To me, this is the message Goodell communicated to the Saints 3 years ago. The Saints leadership made their choices to ignore, cover up, and lie and, in doing so, forfeited their right to direct the consequences now. Saints, quit whining! Shut up, Man up and get ready to play football!

“To make a mistake and not correct it is to make another mistake.”

Post of the Year candidate.

[flipper]

Whats Robison got to do with anything? You think the vikes had a pool for kicking other players in the nuts or something? RIIIIGGGGGHHHHHTTTTT

Robison got fined for that as he should have... whats your point?

I brought up what Robison did because you could look at every game film of the Saints for the last 3 seasons and you will not find an act as despicable as that was. There was someone clearly out to hurt a player, after the play was over. And there was the laughing and the high fiving on the sidelines. Where is the lifetime suspension there? The Saints play was Saintlike in comparison.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

Lifetime suspension? your not serious there... I think your just trying to get me going.

Hi fives and laughing? what game were you watching? The only one i saw laughing was Lang standing over robison laughing right before he got kicked when he should have been going back to the huddle. Hes was no innocent by-standard either.

Saints got what was coming to them and if they wouldve disfigured Rodgers with their cute little cuddly bounty youd be singing a different tune and you know it

[james_walleye]

Comparing a kick to the junk vs trying to break and ankle or blowing a knee out and potentially costing someone millions of bucks? Come on......Goodells reaction to both is proof enough that the 2 are not even close to being in the same ballpark. For gods sake just think about it. If your in the NFL would you rather gave someone kick you in the nads or have someone trying to take your knees out.

[YiGGiN4SLoBS]

I suppose the Randy Moss fake moon at Lambeau was the second most "dispicable" act youve ever seen on a football field too, huh? The saints were saintlike compared to that right?

Gimmie a break Joe Buck

[FISHINGURU]

Joe Buck is the most despicable announcer I've ever had to listen to.