Should Players Be Punished for BountyGate?

by SodaHead Sports Posted 2012/04/25 20:00:00

Related Topics: Sports, Saints, NFL, Football, Nfc South, New Orleans Saints, mickey loomis, sean payton, gregg williams, National Football League, bountygate, roger goodell, Games, Money, Coach, New Orleans, Office, Media

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66 votes
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	Yes	47 votes	71%
	No	19 votes	29%

If the New Orleans Saints think the BountyGate story is going to go away anytime soon, then the franchise has been terribly misinformed. As we've covered here on SodaHead Sports, the NFL has come hard on the Saints', a team that instilled a bounty system for a number of years, including as recently as last postseason.

We've already mentioned that head coach Sean Payton is suspended for a season, former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is banned indefinitely, the Saints were fined half a million dollars, and general manager Mickey Loomis is out for eight games (although it could be out for much longer with a new spying scandal coming to light.) And as if that isn't all enough, there's more.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell isn't done yet with BountyGate -- not by a long shot. Goodell tells the media that he will indeed go after players he believes were not only part of BountyGate -- but willingly participated in taking out (or trying to take out) opposing players for money. It's bad enough the franchise turned a blind eye for years, even after the NFL warned the front office.

Now it looks like any defensive player during that time is subject to, at the very least, strict questioning on what happened with BountyGate. The NFL's investigation has been thorough, but we wonder if any players might unfortunately end up guilty strictly by association.

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Shadow13 2012/04/25 20:32:35

Yes

+3
They were complicit in it and took part in it. They knew their actions would cause injury and knew that by doing what they did they'd also receive a bounty, hence is why it was a bounty system. Their callous disregard for their fellow players should be punished as well.
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More polls by SodaHead Sports

Guido 2012/04/29 12:06:17

No

Any and all football players have been taught this from the first practice. Make your opponent want to quit. And if you've never been around players bound for the NFL you can't understand their mentality. Just be happy the NFL defensive players have jobs and are not bothering you.

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clarence.conner 2012/04/26 22:15:12

No

As appalling as the organization's behavior may have been, suspending players and coaches is a slap in the face to fans of the NFL. Fine them, yes, but suspend no. Besides, I'd be willing to bet that more than half of the other teams have similar programs but just haven't been ratted out yet.

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frank 2012/04/26 17:50:00

No

What happened to the day that the Quarterback was the 11 player on the field? With new rules always going into effect it won't be long before they start playing tag Football because it’s safe.

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jacktown kid 2012/04/26 15:15:54

Yes

Yes they should

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george 2012/04/26 14:10:01

No

The players did not create Bountygate. If they weren't disciplined or fined at the time of an "illegal" hit, why should they be fined now?

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SoCal71 2012/04/26 07:42:21

No

They didn't order the code red... I'm not Markinson…are you Markinson?

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littlebuffalo55TBA 2012/04/26 06:11:24

Yes

Of course! Silly not to!

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BigFig#9 2012/04/26 04:36:24

No

Players deal with the constructs and systems coaches give them and questioningt those systems is 'not appreciated'. I think the NFL needs to do a reality check on how much this same practice existed (in some form) on a number of teams. Perhaps the Saints had achieved the highest level of codification but in some form it has appeared on a number of teams... The league should start looking forward rather than backward and make abundantly clear what will not be tolerated in the future.

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wildcat 2012/04/26 03:38:46

Yes

throw them out of the league

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Heisenberg 2012/04/26 02:22:00

Yes

Absolutely! Not only should they be suspended. They should be fined out the ass, too. Maybe that'll teach them a lesson or two.

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Seeker of Truth - War Wizard 2012/04/26 00:34:54

Yes

They knew it was wrong, so if they cooperated they need to be punished.

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carlton999 2012/04/25 23:47:16

No

This has been going on for years in Football, the Saints are just the only ones who got caught.

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Welshtaff 2012/04/25 23:27:36

No

+1
The coach should be the one who should be punished who told the player to do the damage

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the judgebigdogeagle 2012/04/25 22:45:32

Yes

+1
With the concussion issue going on. Yep they should. Yes people get hurt playing football,but to deliberately take them out,and get money. How would those players feel if they were on the RECIEVING end of that arrangement.

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joe mauro 2012/04/25 21:36:43

Yes

+1
this is the tip of the iceberg of atrocities that constantly occur it was found out due to overconfidence and a accidental taping but it is rampart in the nfl

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TasselLady 2012/04/25 21:22:20

Yes

+2

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the jud... to TasselLady 2012/04/25 22:48:30

+1
How about doing that abit harder to the wallet.Lets sy 25,000.000 million.

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TasselLady to the jud... 2012/04/26 11:27:00

I'm all for that. People in professional sports are paid big bucks to play a game, not work. If they knew what real work was like the rest of us maybe they would change their minds.

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the jud... to TasselLady 2012/04/26 13:34:33

Everybody knows that the WWE is a stage act. Brett Hart said once during a match,his opponet actually put an elbow in his chest. He broke a rib. His opponet appologized.They lose money if they really get injured because people pay to see the John Cena's or Undertakers. I have been once in 13 years. $60.00 to go.

The same is for football. YOU want to see the big names on the field. Not on the sidelines.

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smitty 2012/04/25 20:47:45

Yes

+1
Oooo 500 grand they were fined. The value of the Saints is a billion dollar. That is .05% of it value.

According to Businessweek in 2011 the average salary for a nfl player was 1.9 mill. The median was 770k. That is not even a player salary. Heck the minimum for 2012 is 375k.

That's drew brees beer money on a friday night.

"It's bad enough the franchise turned a blind eye for years, even after the NFL warned the front office. While much more serious.. Penn State turned a blind eye too. Look what happened to all of them. They cleaned house.

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Callaway 2012/04/25 20:47:32

Yes

+1
But where do you start, the coach was with the Titans, Bills, Redskins as well. What was too extreme to draw notice and what was just a damn hard hit? The game will produce injuries without the benefit of bounties perhaps some of the performance incentives in some contracts should also be deleted as well. Where do you stop? What's the criteria? A very greasy slope indeed for the NFL.

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Shadow13 2012/04/25 20:32:35

Yes

+3
They were complicit in it and took part in it. They knew their actions would cause injury and knew that by doing what they did they'd also receive a bounty, hence is why it was a bounty system. Their callous disregard for their fellow players should be punished as well.

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Heptarch 2012/04/25 20:30:41

Yes

+2
Absolutely.

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BoardinOK 2012/04/25 19:36:20

No

+2
Just plain old no. These guys don't need money to provoke them. I played college and it was an ongoing thing, on who had the best hit on what player. It's part of the game. I don't have a problem with them punishing the coaches, but the players....no way.

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smitty to BoardinOK 2012/04/25 20:49:42 (edited)

+1
Best hit yeah fine. Intentionally take them out of game? Nah.. Well its been 20 years for me. Maybe the players have gotten soft.

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BoardinOK to smitty 2012/04/27 18:49:11
smitty to BoardinOK 2012/04/27 18:55:41 (edited)

+1
Same when I played. I expected to be hit hard. No one was giving bonus to me for knocking a player out of the game.

If they did target him the did a crappy job.

edited.. I did not play at the pro level.

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BoardinOK to smitty 2012/04/27 18:52:24

On top of that how do you prove it? How do you prove that he was trying to injure him as opposed to just tackling him? The film won't be that conclusive.

Was this a bounty? I mean it was extra violent and meant to harm.... How are they going to know? They can't.

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smitty to BoardinOK 2012/04/27 18:59:03

+1
You are right. Before this you wouldn't have. The only reason we know is someone spoke up.

There have been alot more injuries though. Evident by the NFL pussifying football to a degree. Well, I guess we know why now.

When I played we played hard. Not with the intent of ruining someones career.

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