Williams, Payton, Loomis, Saints players all may face long suspensions

[.infamous]

Lengthy and unprecedented suspensions appear to be coming for those involved in the Saints’ practice of paying bounties to players who injured opponents.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports that the NFL is considering long suspensions for head coach Sean Payton, General Manager Mickey Loomis, former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and players who were involved in bounties.

How long? Maske cited an unnamed source who said suspensions could be half a season or longer. One person familiar with the NFL’s thinking on the matter mentioned the decision in 1963 by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle to suspend Packers running back Paul Hornung and Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras for an entire season for gambling.

Williams, who ran the bounty program and who’s now the defensive coordinator of the Rams, would seem to be the person who would get the longest suspension. Rams head coach Jeff Fisher should probably be in the process of coming up with a Plan B at the defensive coordinator position on his coaching staff because Williams, the Plan A, may be unavailable for some or all of the season.

But Payton and Loomis appear to be facing discipline as well, and players involved could also be suspended. The NFL said 22 to 27 players on the Saints were involved, but the league hasn’t said who those players are. We don’t know how many are still in the league, how many are still with the Saints and whether some players were ringleaders of the bounty program and will face more significant than others.

What is clear is that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is preparing to come down hard. After the Spygate scandal, Goodell stripped the Patriots of a first-round pick, fined Bill Belichick $500,000 and fined the Patriots $250,000. All indications are that the sanctions for the Saints will be significantly more severe.

Goodell is about to drop the bomb on the Saints lol

 

[Elite]

Death penalty

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I'll be interested to see who gets the biggest penalties.

Gregg Williams and Jonathan Vilma will probably be #1 and #2 imo.

 

[cruzg24]

My friend whose a Saints fan was like "None of the hits were illegal."

Its not about the hits, its about the intent to injure.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

My friend whose a Saints fan was like "None of the hits were illegal."

Its not about the hits, its about the intent to injure.

Sadly Saints fans don't really get that. I've read the numbers, 18 players in 54 games left the field. Not a high number. Only five plays in three years that would would have rewarded the bounty money.

But like you said, that's not what it's about.

 

[cruzg24]

Exactly, and this isnt picking on the Saints cuz I think Drew Brees is an amazing guy and everything. If this was the Giants, I wouldnt want my team to be portrayed in this light either. The NFL will make an example out of the Saints to send a message to the rest of the league to not try this again. Its sad to see the Saints deal with it because they were a Super Bowl favorite for this upcoming year.

Why couldnt this have happened to the Seahawks or the Rams? lol

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I do have to say this though, the media is blowing the entire thing up.

The Saints had a huge bounty pool on things like interceptions, fumbles, defensive touchdowns, etc. The bounty on opponents made up barely over 12% of the money put into the pool. The media is leading people to believe otherwise. I mean the media is making out the Saints as this dirty franchise, just unnecessarily spreading a untrue thought. The facts are there were 7 or 8 teams with more personal fouls on defense in the last three years, and the Saints defense wasn't even first in our own division for taking out opponents. The Falcons had 29 opponents leave the field vs the Saints 18 during the last three years. Just sucks the media is making the Saints out as something we aren't.

Personally, I think this is just as much about cheating the cap rather than the actual bounty.

 

[DJT]

I honestly think Williams should be banned permanently.

 

[.infamous]

I honestly think Williams should be banned permanently.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I honestly think Williams should be banned permanently.

Banned permanently for something that has happened all over the NFL for a long time?

 

[elcheato]

Does that make it right? They got caught and the NFL has to make an example out of them, it won't be pretty

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Does that make it right? They got caught and the NFL has to make an example out of them, it won't be pretty

That's irrelevant to the discussion of Gregg Williams being banned for life.

I will say it again, the NFL will not ban someone for something a ton of coaches do and have done for a long time.

 

[elcheato]

There's a good chance he'll be black balled from the NFL anyway.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

There's a good chance he'll be black balled from the NFL anyway.

He will probably get a nice long suspension and a huge ass fine, but that is it.

Truth is, this is something that will probably spread. Teams like the Redskins, Bills, and Titans will be (are being in the case of Washington) looked into because of what they found with Williams. Things they find from those teams could lead them to investigate other teams and so on. Would anyone be shocked if the Ryan brothers have a system like this in place? Thats the coaching tree Williams comes from, Buddy Ryan.

 

[elcheato]

He'll get a long suspension, and I would assume the Rams are then going to fire him. Who is going to pick this guy up knowing the NFL would be constantly looking into them keeping a close eye on his new tactics or whatever he employs?

I would be surprised to see him back in the NFL if the Rams get rid of him.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

He'll get a long suspension, and I would assume the Rams are then going to fire him. Who is going to pick this guy up knowing the NFL would be constantly looking into them keeping a close eye on his new tactics or whatever he employs?

I would be surprised to see him back in the NFL if the Rams get rid of him.

The thing with firing him is, their new HC has been brought into this as well, from the time they spent together in Tenneessee. Fisher was responsible for the bounties as well.

 

[DJT]

If I was commissioner I would ban Williams permanently and maybe Payton + Loomis for a full season.

This type of stuff is horrible. And should never happen.

I mean all these new rules were made to keep players safe, then you have a team doing this.... = ban hammer.

Send a message. And teams will be more sneaky/less likely to do this again.

 

[.infamous]

If I was commissioner I would ban Williams permanently and maybe Payton + Loomis for a full season.

This type of stuff is horrible. And should never happen.

I mean all these new rules were made to keep players safe, then you have a team doing this.... = ban hammer.

Send a message. And teams will be more sneaky/less likely to do this again.

................

 

[DJT]

It doesn't matter if teams have doing it since day one. That gives all the more reason for a perm-ban.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

It doesn't matter if teams have doing it since day one. That gives all the more reason for a perm-ban.

The league is going to send a message with the Saints.

But guess what? It will mostly fall on deaf ears. Teams won't stop doing this sort of thing because the Saints got caught.