Bountygate Punishment for the Saints

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

Saints took it too far but these punishments are simply ridiculous.

Well just 2 games is even more ridiculous. The ONLY thing that I think could maybe be a bit too much is that Payton is essentially suspended for much of next off-season. Lift the suspension after the playoffs and let him be involved with the team for senior week, combines, pro days, free agency

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Well just 2 games is even more ridiculous. The ONLY thing that I think could maybe be a bit too much is that Payton is essentially suspended for much of next off-season. Lift the suspension after the playoffs and let him be involved with the team for senior week, combines, pro days, free agency

This investigation went on for 2 years. Goodell knew about it. Why didn't he stop it when it was going on? He's so worried about safety then he should've came out and said..."anyone caught doing this will be suspended and docked draft picks"...right there he could've ended this right away. Whether it's right or wrong this has been the culture of football. Defensive players, next year, will try and knock out offensive players. The only difference is funds won't be exchanged.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

This investigation went on for 2 years. Goodell knew about it. Why didn't he stop it when it was going on? He's so worried about safety then he should've came out and said..."anyone caught doing this will be suspended and docked draft picks"...right there he could've ended this right away. Whether it's right or wrong this has been the culture of football. Defensive players, next year, will try and knock out offensive players. The only difference is funds won't be exchanged.

Not sure if you don't understand the concept of lies and cover-ups, or if you're just not paying attention

“Clearly, we were lied to,” Goodell said. “We investigated this back in 2010, we were told it was not happening, it continued for another two years until we got credible evidence late in the 2011 season and we were able to identify significant information that verified from multiple sources that this was going on for a three-year period.”

Roger Goodell stands by Saints’ suspensions: “We were lied to” | ProFootballTalk

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Not sure if you don't understand the concept of lies and cover-ups, or if you're just not paying attention

I understand it clearly. I'm over it.

[skinsguy]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

This investigation went on for 2 years. Goodell knew about it. Why didn't he stop it when it was going on? He's so worried about safety then he should've came out and said..."anyone caught doing this will be suspended and docked draft picks"...right there he could've ended this right away. Whether it's right or wrong this has been the culture of football. Defensive players, next year, will try and knock out offensive players. The only difference is funds won't be exchanged.

Yeah, but far too many times, people don't change their actions with just simple verbal warnings. It's not until they actually face that consequence that they realize their actions were stupid.

Kind of like that Teens Scared Beyond Straight show on A & E. No matter how much screaming and yelling those felons dish out to that youth, there is almost always one or two who wind up in jail with them months or a year later. I think in this case, Williams and the players probably always knew in the back of their minds that eventually there could be severe consequences for doing the bounties.

But, until actually facing those consequences, they probably didn't feel the threat of taking those warnings seriously. Williams and the Saints are probably the sacrificial lambs, but they needed the punishment to open their eyes and realize what they were doing was wrong.

My only beef with all of it....not the punishment, but the time frame of the punishment. This affects the Rams as well - an innocent bystander in all of this. Yes, kind of hard to feel very sorry for them after they bent the Redskins over in the trade, but still. Unless the Rams organization knew, ahead of time, that it was likely Williams could be suspended, I dare say they wouldn't have acquired his services. Seems like Goodell could have mentioned to the Rams that Williams was under investigation and they might wish to hold off hiring him. But, I suppose it doesn't work that way.

[CrustyRedskin]

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by skinsguy

... Seems like Goodell could have mentioned to the Rams that Williams was under investigation and they might wish to hold off hiring him. But, I suppose it doesn't work that way.

Well, let's say they did that and, subsequently, it turns out that involvement wasn't as bad as it first appearred or that it's revealed that Payton was directing him to do it, or any number of other speculative outcomes that could occur before the investigation closed and the sanction decided. If that had happened, would GW have a case that the league caused him to loose his job.

What if they simply said, hey ... "Just a heads up, the guy is under investigation by the NFL to determine if he broke some rules." The Rams start asking reasonable questions like: "What rules?" "Will he be sanctioned?", etc. Word gets out that and the NFL's investigation is compromised.

Sometimes, hindsight is 20/20. Everything seems clear as a bell now about what was going on, who was behind it and what the sanction was going to be, not sure that could be said when Williams was hired.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Well just 2 games is even more ridiculous. The ONLY thing that I think could maybe be a bit too much is that Payton is essentially suspended for much of next off-season. Lift the suspension after the playoffs and let him be involved with the team for senior week, combines, pro days, free agency

2 games would have been downright laughable and would have sent a weak message.