SmashMouth

The next time the NFL does an investigation, it should be done properly. The league announced in March that the New Orleans Saints had run a program offering financial rewards for injuring opposing offensive players. Saints coaches — most notably Sean Payton (one-year ban) — and front-office members were hit with fines and suspensions. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell then levied harsh penalties upon four Saints players he claimed were implicitly involved.

The problem: That wasn’t exactly true.

After months of appeals and legal wrangling, Goodell’s predecessor Paul Tagliabue was brought out of mothballs to review the case. Tagliabue overturned the suspensions, but not before irreparable damage was done to the reputations of Jon Vilma, Scott Fujita, Will Smith and Anthony Hargrove.

With so much of the investigation never made public, it’s impossible to determine just how much of the NFL’s case was legitimate. We do know that Goodell is in for a rude welcome when he heads to New Orleans in late January for Super Bowl XLVII festivities.

NFL year in review: Quabterbacks and controversy - NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN