SaintsBro

"I don't know that I would say everything happens for a reason," Payton said. "I would say everything happens."

Translation: the suspension and Bounty penalties happened, but that wasn't the real reason for them, and not everything that Goodell said happened, really did happen. It was a trick question, trying to get Payton to indirectly admit that the allegations were true and Goodell was right and he and the Saints did something wrong, and Coach Payton wouldn't take the bait. In fact he tells you plain as day with this, that there was more going on, that it was all about Goodell and a witch hunt.

This actually kind of confirms AGAIN what I've always felt since the day they were announced, that the suspension and the penalties had more to do with other things besides just the so-called Bounties. He's flat out saying, bounties are not the "reason" his suspension happened! I've always believed it was about specific discipline things that had happened previously, that Goodell couldn't "get" them for, so Goodell went hard after Payton, Loomis, Vitt, Smith, Vilma, and Hargrove, with the Bounty thing.