What penalty should be handed down for bounty hunting in the NFL?
The New Orleans Saints maintained a bounty pool of as much as $50,000 over the last three seasons to award their players for delivering game-ending injuries to the opposition, the NFL revealed last week after a lengthy investigation.
Writers from around Tribune Co. discuss how the league should punish the teams and people involved in this kind of bounty hunting. Check back throughout the day for more responses and join the discussion with a comment of your own.
Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times
Considering this bounty system was so egregious, and apparently aimed at knocking players out of games, rather than simply rewarding big defensive plays, I think the penalty should be swift and severe. Gregg Williams, the defensive coordinator who evidently had installed this program throughout his career, should get a lifetime ban.
Saints Coach Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis should be suspended for a year. Neither Payton nor Loomis made an attempt to stop Williams’ system. Players who participated in the program, too, should be fined and/or suspended, though not as severely as their coaches.
But I think there’s a way to link a penalty to another issue, too. The league could reduce the Saints’ salary cap by, say, 10% for one or two seasons -- and do the same, possibly to a lesser degree with Washington, where Williams had the same system in place -- and donate that unspent money to a fund for retired players.
The NFL needs to send a strong message about this, and I believe it’s ready to do so.
Matt Vensel, Baltimore Sun
The NFL is going to drop the hammer on the New Orleans Saints. How common these bounty systems are among the NFL’s 31 other teams is irrelevant. Increasing player safety is something Roger Goodell has trumpeted during his tenure as commissioner. Taking a soft stance on this bounty scandal centered on former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams would kill Goodell’s credibility.
The NFL handed out $750,000 in fines to the New England Patriots for Spygate and took away a first-round draft pick. The punishment slapped on the Saints should be even greater, especially considering that the entire chain of command in the organization had been aware of the bounties, from owner Tom Benson to general manager Mickey Loomis to head Coach Sean Payton.
If Goodell wants to stomp out these bounties across his league for good, he needs to hit the Saints where it really hurts by taking away multiple draft picks and by suspending Payton and Loomis — and also Williams, now with the St. Louis Rams— for allowing the bounty system to continue under their watch.
[Updated at 12:30 p.m.:
Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune
It’s not surprising that the NFL released results of its investigation into the bounty system with the Saints but has yet to announce punishments. This is a sensitive issue for a commissioner that has made a very public platform based on player safety. Roger Goodell and the league need to be thorough before handing down penalties that will certainly be strict.
Financial implications for coaches such as Gregg Williams and Sean Payton, who earn millions of dollars, won’t be as significant as potential suspensions. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis figures to be ensnared, and players could also face discipline.
The focus has been on Williams, who now has a new employer in St. Louis. On Friday, he admitted his role in a public apology, and was called to New York on Monday. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s sidelined for half a season or more, a move that could lead the Rams to lean on Dave McGinnis to lead the defense.]
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