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-   -   I think the league may have shot themselves in the foot with this Saints bounty scandal (https://blackandgold.com/saints/41928-i-think-league-may-have-shot-themselves-foot-saints-bounty-scandal.html)

WhoDat!656 03-08-2012 07:18 PM

I think the league may have shot themselves in the foot with this Saints bounty scandal
 
GW in his apology never said that he or the Saints ran a bounty program; he said they ran a 'pay for performance' program.

“I want to express my sincere regret and apology to the NFL, Mr. Benson, and the New Orleans Saints fans for my participation in the ‘pay for performance’ program while I was with the Saints,” Williams said. “It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it. Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. I take full responsibility for my role. I am truly sorry. I have learned a hard lesson and I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again.”

Unless the league has a sworn affadavit from a Saints player/coach saying that he witnessed money being paid for injuring a player, or audio or visual proof,their case may be a house of cards.

Halo 03-08-2012 07:43 PM

I think "pay for performance" is legalese for "Bounty."
1 good scandal or sudden death/injury and Bountygate will be forgotten.

I agree that the NFL has a wishy-washy case at best.

CharityMike 03-08-2012 07:48 PM

Yeah..they can have fun trying to prove "Intent" on any play!

SmashMouth 03-08-2012 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhoDat!656 (Post 384856)
GW in his apology never said that he or the Saints ran a bounty program; he said they ran a 'pay for performance' program.

“I want to express my sincere regret and apology to the NFL, Mr. Benson, and the New Orleans Saints fans for my participation in the ‘pay for performance’ program while I was with the Saints,” Williams said. “It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it. Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. I take full responsibility for my role. I am truly sorry. I have learned a hard lesson and I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again.”

Unless the league has a sworn affadavit from a Saints player/coach saying that he witnessed money being paid for injuring a player, or audio or visual proof,their case may be a house of cards.

Great point! I want an apology from Goodell now! ... Plus draft picks for the Saints!

saintfan 03-08-2012 10:01 PM

The NFL isn't going to relent. This isn't about anything the Saints did. This IS about the coming court cases the NFL is going to have to defend itself against because ex players are lining up to sue for injuries they 'suffered' while playing in the league.

alexonfyre 03-08-2012 11:18 PM

In the court of the NFL the only evidence you need is "Goodell doesn't like you"

The Dude 03-09-2012 12:19 AM

They will most likely hit us with penalties for several smaller issues instead of one. Salary cap violation is one.

WhoDat!656 03-09-2012 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Dude (Post 384951)
They will most likely hit us with penalties for several smaller issues instead of one. Salary cap violation is one.

Then any team that paid players for interceptions, fumble recoveries,sacks etc should get punished same as the Saints

Brandon428 03-09-2012 05:15 AM

That is what I have been saying all along. Its all hearsay and conjecture at best. There is no absolute evidence nor confession that proves their was ever a system in place that PAID FOR INJURIES,only a pay for performance (interceptions,sacks,big stops,etc.). The Saints organization knows whats going on,its a disgruntled ex-employee who’s trying to stir up trouble and the stupid media is eating it up and adding fuel to the fire because its a good BS story to get people to watch their shows or read their articles. I have lost a lot of respect for TMZSPN and other people around the league for being so quick to judge without any real evidence and for being a bunch of gullible lackeys. Its only common sense,look at the past few years while we we’re under Greg William’s regime,how many K.O. and cart off hits did we make? I honestly can’t even remember any! I know we made a lot of big hits but thats how you create fumbles and turnovers and break up big receptions! Also if its $1,500 "bounty" for a K.O. and $10,000+ fine for making such a hit what the hell is the point?!? I promise you this case would never hold up in court! The reason why the NFL has to pursue this is because the media has blown it up and now some one has to pay to appease all the idiots who believe everything they hear on TMZSPN. This has nothing to do with “player saftey” but has everything to do with protecting the consensus view of the NFL therefore protecting revenue and their defense against lawsuits from ex-NFL players suing the league because of a lack of medical care after retirement. Surprising though it may be but this has nothing to do with “player safety”,its all about the almighty dollar.

SloMotion 03-09-2012 07:40 AM

Agree the NFL is moving in the 'shot self in foot' direction on this. I think their main concern was the fact "non-contractual bonus payments" were going on, and in an effort to bring the issue to the forefront, the NFL decided to 'sensationalize' the issue with the whole 'bounty' theme in order to get the general public behind them.

But like saintfan pointed out, the NFL will be relentless. It's a dog & pony show and they'll keep throwing stuff at the Saints until something sticks.

SapperSaint 03-09-2012 08:20 AM

I like HALO's "One good scandal" thingy.

Maybe Peyton Manning will come out and say that Ursay sexually harrassed him. This could be the story. Ursay confronts Peyton in the locker room and in Peyton's shocking reaction, Peyton trips over his stool and hits the back of his neck on his locker causing the "Neck Injury".

Now THAT is a scandal!

Euphoria 03-09-2012 09:17 AM

Yall call call it whatever you like but IT IS ILLEGAL for them to have ANY program that is incentive based program even it its among themselves, like an office pool. By the rule its all illegal.

That is where they are shooting themselves in the foot. Every player past or present agrees they have taken part in it. Where its for an INT or even to hurt a player its all ILLEGAL!!!

I don't know where some of you get that its problems with contracts and cap space... this wasn't the team giving them money this was players and coaches putting in their own money has nothing to do with being payed by their boss or the owner. This was merely an office pool of sorts. They use the term "bounty" as to paint a negative picture with it... You can call it an incentive program if you like but its all the save and all illegal by the NFL policy.

xan 03-09-2012 09:49 AM

Again, be careful about using the term "illegal." It is a violation of NFL policy to have a pool, not a civil or criminal violation of state or federal statute to form an incentive and performance based cooperative. It is not gambling because the events to which compensation could potentially accrue were neither random nor outside the player's control.

Stripping that term from the discussion dials the insanity way back to an appropriate level for the activity.

vpheughan 03-09-2012 06:31 PM

If the NFL "proves" the bounty for injury occured what is to prevent every player ever ijured in a game from bringing criminal as well as civil suits against every team in and including the NFL? One that comes to mind is a QB who lives one state over and loves "drama." Isn't the league ultimately resposible for the actions taken by it's "members"? Isn't there a "Greatest Hits" dvd available from the NFL? Sort of "do as I say not as I do" huh NFL?


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