WhoDat!656

When the Gregg Williams audio tape surfaced last month, it elevated the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal to a new level of public awareness and lowered the cries of unduly harsh punishment to a murmur.


Sean Pamphilon, the filmmaker who released the recording of the ex-Saints defensive coordinator's speech the night before the team's January playoff defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, called it a "smoking gun," but really, it was more than that: Williams' words took people inside a culture of amplified rhetoric and calls for violence and eliminated any doubt that a line had been crossed.


As a result, the NFL-imposed suspension of Williams – and those of Saints coach Sean Payton, assistant head coach Joe Vitt and general manager Mickey Loomis – became very difficult to dispute. Anyone in a position of authority who tolerated or perpetuated such an environment, let alone who lied to league officials and ignored their directives, was clearly culpable and, for want of a better term, cruisin' for a bruisin' from commissioner Roger Goodell.

NFL needs to publicly release evidence of players' bounty involvement if it exists - Yahoo! Sports

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."

SmashMouth

Maybe this article will help in a small way put pressure on the NFL.

jlouhill

That was a good read. This article said what I have been thinking since this mess escalated to the point it is now. If there is truly evidence that we tried to hurt opponents for pay then, yes, suspend them, they deserve what punishment they got. There's no room for that kind of play in any sport. I'm wondering if Goodell isn't being fed some poor advice from so-called legal people on all of this. This whole thing is going to get real messy, real fast. It could very well bring Goodell crashing down to a horrible ending. It could end up hurting the NFL if all these lawsuits are won by these ex players as well. We'll see huge amounts of settlements which will mean increased ticket prices, higher prices on anything NFL. This could also bring about, for the revenue to cover the legal stuff, what I have been fearful of for a few years now---The Super Bowl being a pay-per-view event. Maybe I'm just being overly fearful. I just don't want my favorite spectator sport to get so expensive that guys like me and most who live hand to mouth can't afford to watch it.
I just hope that this will all get settled in good time, our guys will be vindicated, and we can put this thing to rest for good. But until then, I'm on board with this article---Show me the money (evidence).

SaintsBro

"If you have actual evidence of money changing hands and guys actually getting injured – if that exists – then all the suspensions are justified," Saints linebacker Scott Shanle told me Wednesday afternoon. "I think they have nothing to show. If you have evidence to show, at this point, wouldn't you show it? I don't think they have anything."

Shanle, a ninth-year veteran not known for making controversial public statements, may sound to some like a frustrated and semi-delusional player sticking up for his friends, but I wouldn't be so quick to marginalize him. For one thing, I've talked to numerous players on the Saints, and with other organizations, who basically share his sentiments.

lumm0x

Much like the taped Williams speech, if the NFL had anything else damning and credible on the Saints bounty issue they would be parading it to no end. Hiding behind legal speak and ambiguity does nothing but continue to make them seem like the shady group of characters they are. The same ones who had their internal doctors deceive players on concussion issues and made millions off the injuries of these former players. I cannot understand why this class action law suit isn't more publicized. Oh yeah....the NFL would black ball any writer who challenged them too much.

burningmetal

Good article. The only thing I don't get about what he said is when he suggested that the penalties against the coaches seem warranted. for all we know, they may be, but if there is no evidence to show the players did anything, then how are the coaches still responsible? Ok, Gregg Williams said some crazy things, Granted... But if those words were orders, wouldn't the players have gone through with it? You can't disprove the words he said, but that is, by all accounts of players, pretty typical rhetoric.

I find it hilariously self righteous of people who say that even if Williams didn't mean all the things he said on that tape, he should be punished just for saying it... Umm... Please show me the rule book stating that players or coaches can be punished for saying dirty words in the locker room. last I checked, there was something called freedom of speech in this country. Goodell might be judge, jury and executioner in the NFL, but he is not above the very constitution that regulates our way of life in America. You don't have to like Gregg, I never much did anyway, and it has nothing to do with bountygate, but you can't penalize someone for what they say without any proof of literal intent.

Yet not only he, but Payton, Loomis, Vitt and pretty much anyone who played for our defense the last 3 years are seen as guilty beyond any doubt, by the public eye as well as Goodell, over one man's words. That's shameful. That's not integrity. So in keeping with the moral of the above article, show us the money... If you have it.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.

gandhi1007

That is slowly getting taken away, too. Look up Bill HR 347 that was just signed.

TheOak

Shanley had a very valid point.

In regards to people saying that MONEY, $10k, $20k bounty motivated players to hurt another player with illegal hits, it makes no sense.

Whats been the lowest fine for an illegal hit to date? $10k-$15k?

Where is the motivation to make $15,000.00 when your probably going to get fined at least that by the league?

Then again the league typically is only fining for head shots, and you could mow ankles all day and not get a fine... because ALL the NFL cares about is having a defense for concussion law suits.

Just more inconsistency by the NFL.

Saintswrath

I really don't want to see any evidence if you ask me..

They did it, the tape surfacing was enough icing on the cake for me to throw up in my mouth, im beyond ready to move on and bury this ASAP, i didn't even want the player's to appeal, i just want to get over it, get Brees signed and get back to the good ole day's.
This mess has haunted us too long, fan's are suffering, players are suffering and the entire club as a whole is suffering, we need some good news and we need to put this crap in the past.

I don't want to see evidence, Evidence will only hurt us more, it will reveal ALL Players that were involved, it will detail more crap than we'd want to know that was in the 18,000 page doc's.
Im sure the league has had informants sent into the locker room's, conference room's and everywhere else to investigate it all, they probably had the toilets tapped for all we know and they have the right to do it..
We might not get this evidence because it might reveal the tactics the NFL used to get this evidence which could hurt them in the long run if they need to do another investigation..
Leave it be.

Beastmode

Saintswrath, I think a lot of us feel this way. The NFL likely does have some damning evidence which could sling more mud on the Saints but the NFLPA is doing what they are supose to in questioning the CBA agreement. The NFL is stating the Saints broke rules but in order to do that they themselves had to break rules. You can't sign a contract and only follow rules you want and scoff at the ones you don't. That's not how it works and the NFL has a history of doing exactly that.