dsrdsrdsr |
03-25-2012 06:26 PM |
What happened 4 seasons ago isn't relevant. No doubt lots of teams, including the Saints, were running bounty programs of some level of severity. There was a big league investigation, lots of theam were warned specifically and all were warned in general, not to do it again. No team was punished, and a line drawn under the whole episode. (Or it was swept under the carpet, if you prefer.)
AND THEN ... the Saints, uniquely so far as we know, decided that Goodell was bluffing and they decided to keep doing it. Goodell suspected they'd kept doing it, launched an investigation, and couldn't prove it; he then found more evidence, had another investigation, and proved his case to the entire satisfaction of all concerned including Payton and Williams.
The Saints, Titans and Ravens all got exactly the same punishment for bounty programs up to 2008. A slap on the wrist. This punishment is for continued bounty programs since 2009, carried out in the certain knowledge that the NFL wasn't joking any more and under specific warnings, issued at least twice, that there would be severe penalties.
If it comes out that other teams were up to the same game (and were stupid enough to leave swathes of evidence proving it), they will no doubt get huge penalties. But you can be fairly sure Goodell has investigated pretty thoroughly and knows that's not the case. He knows he can't get away with suspending every head coach in the league, he can only make an example of the most egregious offenders.
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