Fans of the NFL have been contemplating how the commissioner Roger Goodell was going to discipline the New Orleans Saints franchise for their “bounty gate” actions. If you’re not familiar with the “bounty gate” scandal, the New Orleans Saints were offering players a cash payout for injuring opposing team’s key players. The commissioner clearly wanted to send a message to rid this bounty system from the league, and today he dished out the penalties. Head Coach Sean Payton has been suspended for the entire NFL season next year, while the Saints’ former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams who was on the staff at the time of this scandal has indefinitely been banned from the NFL. Mickey Loomis the Saints’ general manager has been banned from the time of the preseason up until the first 8-games of the NFL season, assistant coach Joe Vitt was also suspended the first 6-games of the season. This is the first time ever that a head coach and GM has been suspended from the league for any reason. Roger Goodell wanted to make sure his message got across to the league as he also handed the Saints a $500,000 fine, along with taking away their second round draft pick for 2012 and their second round draft pick for 2013. It will be interesting to see how the Saints who have been in the talks for Super Bowl contention as of late will perform next season.
-John McAuliffe (@John_Mac310)
