The New Orleans Saints are still reeling from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's ruling on "Bountygate," where coaches paid bonuses to players for every opponent they could either knock out of the game or get carted off. Now team owner Tom Benson is left to clean up the mess.
What a mess it is. Head coach Sean Payton was suspended for a year without pay, general manager Mickey Loomis was handed a eight-game suspension, and Joe Vitt, linebackers coach and assistant head coach, will sit out six games. The Saints must give up a second-round draft pick in both 2012 and 2013, and the team must also pay a $500,000 fine. Former Saints defensive coordinator Greg Williams was also suspended indefinitely without pay.
Let's put ourselves in Benson's shoes for a moment. When Hurrican Katrina turned New Orleans upside down in 2005, it was the Saints that gave the city hope for a brighter future. Just two years ago, Benson's team was on top of the football world, winning its first Super Bowl and becoming the darlings of NFL fans everywhere.
Now, with one blow from the hammer of the commissioner, the Saints have gone from the gates of heaven to the pit of Hades, and the bloodletting isn't over. Goodell still has yet to decide the fate of the Saints players who took part in Bountygate, but he will, in due time.
While Greg Williams was clearly the mastermind behind the bounty controversy, the responsibility of stopping the scheme rests squarely on Payton's and Loomis' shoulders. Payton denied any knowledge of such a program, a claim disputed by numerous insiders. According to the final report issued by the NFL on the investigation, Payton received an e-mail from an associate prior to the start of the 2011 season which stated, "P.S. Greg Williams put me down for $5,000 on (Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron) Rogers (sic)."
Loomis advised Payton in 2010 that the league was conducting an investigation into allegations of a bounty program. Payton met with Williams and Vitt before an interview with league investigators and told them, "let's make sure our ducks are in a row." Payton claimed he never inquired about the results of that interview, and didn't ask Williams or Vitt whether such a program even existed, and if it did, to stop it. Loomis again informed Payton in January 2012 that the league was reopening the investigation. Payton made only a cursory inquiry, but again took no action to make sure a bounty program was discontinued. Loomis also failed to follow up to ensure this was done.
The fact a bounty was put out on specific players is bad enough, but the failure of both Payton and Loomis to take decisive action to put an end to it, and attempting to hinder the investigation is equally grievous. Benson made it clear to both that such a program was unacceptable, and gave specific instructions to squash it. Now, the Saints are having to pick up the pieces of their broken team, all because the head coach and general manager did not fulfill their responsibilities and hold their staff accountable.
Publicly, Benson is standing behind his coach and Gm. Even after they fulfill their suspensions, how can Benson feel secure in placing his trust in them to run the team? The punishment being inflicted, not to mention the humiliation and embarrassment he will endure, is too high a price to pay for loyalty. Sure, Payton has been a fan favorite since coming to New Orleans with his boyish charm and a Super Bowl victory. But Payton and Loomis should both be shown the door for dereliction of duty and covering up the situation. Most companies wouldn't hesitate to do the same.
For the first time since Goodell's decision, Payton spoke publicly about the situation to reporters during the NFL owners meeting in Florida. When asked about the commissioner's allegation that he lied repeatedly to investigators, Payton said, "in my two trips to New York, I made sure to do everything in my power to answer questions honestly." He also stated he was 100 percent confident he would coach the Saints again after his suspension was up.
Benson spoke with his fellow owners during the meetings, saying he was disappointed that the bounty incident occurred, and assured them he would take the necessary steps to prevent it from ever happening again. Whether those steps include replacing Payton and Loomis remains to be seen, but both will have to earn back trust that has been seriously compromised. That may be an even tougher road to travel than getting a team to the Super Bowl.
April 1, 2012
WhoDatStreet:
What an asinine comment from someone clearly not a long time Saints fan. Certainly, there should be punishment handed out by the Bensons not so much for what happened as the fact that Tom Benson sent the word down to stop it and they didn’t.
However, Benson also needs to remember (and he will) who “brung him to the dance”.
Were Loomis and Payton wrong? Absolutely.
Did the wrong outweigh what they have and will do for the team? Absolutely not.
The Saints are still going to be a force this year although they will, of course, feel the effects of the punishment.
The punishment was over the top and wouldn’t have been handed down if it was the Packers or any of the other darlings of the NFL. They did it to the Saints because they’re a small market team and they were looking for a way to put them in their place.
It didn’t work.
April 5, 2012
JockSpin.com:
I agree with the author here. Football is under assault by POMAF, “Peeved Off Mothers Against Football” (OK I made that up you got me) already with all the brain injury talk. I’ve nothing against aggresiveness and impact, but as a father, it has me thinking as well. A statement needs to be made. The sport is bigger than the Saints, and the Saints are bigger than Payton. Mr. Saints fan above is blinded by devotion. There could be nothing more impressive than Benson canning Payton. BTW, while I’m ranting, what’s with “Who dat?” God I hate that. Stupid, truly.
April 19, 2012
Andrew Jones:
Honestly, I think if Payton had a shred of integrity he would resign and take two to three years off from coaching. If he had done that, of his own volition, I think he could come back to the game with a fresh perspective and a new start.
What I hate most about this is that the Saints have now been a spotlight team for seven consecutive years because announcers never let up on Katrina until the Saints won the Super Bowl and since have been praising Brees for his record-breaking, and now, they won’t shut up about the bounty scandal for the next 5 years. I am tired of the Saints. very. very. tired.