Today the National Football League announced the following response to the results of its investigation of bounties being offered and paid by the New Orleans Saints to its players for injuring key opposition players in games. From the NFL press release:
“Commissioner Roger Goodell notified the New Orleans Saints today of the discipline that will be imposed on team management for violations of the NFL’s long-standing “bounty” rule that endangered player safety over a three-year period.
“Discipline for individual players involved in the Saints’ prohibited program continues to be under review with the NFL Players Association and will be addressed by Commissioner Goodell at a later date. The program included “bounty” payments for “knock-outs” and “cart-offs,” plays on which an opposing player was forced to leave the game. At times, the bounties even targeted specific players by name.
“The NFL’s extensive investigation established the existence of an active bounty program on the Saints during the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons in violation of league rules, a deliberate effort to conceal the program’s existence from league investigators, and a clear determination to maintain the program despite express direction from Saints ownership that it stop as well as ongoing inquiries from the league office.
“We are all accountable and responsible for player health and safety and the integrity of the game,” Commissioner Goodell said. “We will not tolerate conduct or a culture that undermines those priorities. No one is above the game or the rules that govern it. Respect for the game and the people who participate in it will not be compromised.”
“A combination of elements made this matter particularly unusual and egregious,” Commissioner Goodell continued. “When there is targeting of players for injury and cash rewards over a three-year period, the involvement of the coaching staff, and three years of denials and willful disrespect of the rules, a strong and lasting message must be sent that such conduct is totally unacceptable and has no place in the game.”
…Based on the record, Commissioner Goodell has imposed the following discipline on Saints management:
» The New Orleans Saints are fined $500,000. In addition, because the violation involves a competitive rule, the Saints will forfeit their selections in the second round of the 2012 and 2013 NFL drafts.
» Saints Head Coach Sean Payton is suspended without pay for the 2012 NFL season, effective April 1.
» Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis is suspended without pay for the first eight regular-season games of the 2012 season.
» Former Saints (and current St. Louis Rams) defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely from the NFL, effective immediately. Commissioner Goodell will review Coach Williams’ status at the conclusion of the 2012 season and consider whether to reinstate him, and, if so, on what terms. Commissioner Goodell said he will give close attention to the extent to which Coach Williams cooperates with the NFL in any further proceedings.
» Saints assistant Head Coach Joe Vitt is suspended without pay for the first six regular-season games of the 2012 season.
» The Saints and the individuals disciplined today are expected to participate in efforts led by the league office to develop programs that will instruct players and coaches at all levels of the game on the need for respect for the game and those who participate in it, on principles of fair play, safety and sportsmanship, and to ensure that bounties will not be part of football at any level.
“Commissioner Goodell stated that the actions of the individuals disciplined today violated league rules and constituted conduct detrimental to the league and players. He said the existence of a pay-for-performance/bounty program undermined the integrity of the game. The violations were compounded by the failure of Coach Payton to supervise the players and coaches and his affirmative decision starting in 2010 (a) not to inquire into the facts concerning the pay-for-performance/bounty program even though he was aware of the league’s inquiries both in 2010 and 2012; (b) to falsely deny that the program existed; (c) to encourage the false denials by instructing assistants to “make sure our ducks are in a row;” and (d) to ignore instructions from the league office and club ownership to ensure that no such program existed.
“Beyond the clear and continuing violations of league rules, and lying to investigators, the bounty program is squarely contrary to the league’s most important initiatives – enhancing player health and safety and protecting the integrity of the game,” Commissioner Goodell said. “Let me be clear. There is no place in the NFL for deliberately seeking to injure another player, let alone offering a reward for doing so. Any form of bounty is incompatible with our commitment to create a culture of sportsmanship, fairness, and safety. Programs of this kind have no place in our game and we are determined that bounties will no longer be a part of the NFL.”…
Wow.
Already, fans, players and sportswriters are arguing that Goodell’s punishment was too severe. It was not. Anything less that a total rejection of the Saints’ illegal actions would have failed to send the message that the league has to send if it is to begin changing the NFL’s ultra-violent culture, which we now know has unacceptable human consequences.There are real perils for the NFL in doing this, because that same culture has made pro football the nation’s most popular and profitable sport. Still, Goodell’s response was unquestionably the right one by any ethical standards.
Honestly, I didn’t think he’d do it.
It is a sad day for the NFL, but a proud one too.
Ethics Alarms 
Did you beat me by 15 seconds or did i beat you?
You beat me. I just conceded on your site!
I like the severity for the added reason that I think the problem isn’t limited to the Saints. I think this actually conveys a message to bounty programs that are currently hidden from the NFL investigators and will have an immediate effect. The Saints are paying the price of the warning shot. I guarantee that any team that doesn’t heed the warning and clean their house up will get the same or worse.
Agreed. And the fact that it’s a popular and successful team with a marquee quarterback in a football-crazy market makes the message all that more powerful.
Holding managers, coaches & players accountable isn’t just the purview of the NFL Commissioner. Unethical behavior has also contaminated the groundwater of youth sports. Parents & coaches are becoming more concerned with unethical attitudes and behaviors witnessed on the courts, playing fields, & stands in their own communities. Some are banding together to advocate for constructive change. Supporting ethical practice in kids’ sports is the focus of the national non-profit organization, the Positive Coaching Alliance. Having professional coaches like Doc Rivers & Phil Jackson speaking out in favor of these ethical & healthy initiatives is also heartening. If we want ethical adults, we need to do more than teach our kids to count; we need to teach them what counts. As Rush Kidder expressed it, it is essential to nurture “Ethical Fitness”.
Forgive me for feeling just a tad incredulous. I would like to believe as Tim says, “that any team that doesn’t heed the warning and clean their house up will get the same or worse.”
But, I’m not going to hold my breath for signs of integrity in the NFL’s enforcement process. Uh-uh; no sir. Not with the other teams out there (with their markets) who have not been hammered at all yet for the same or worse offenses.
I’ll tell you what’s going on. It’s North vs. South. The Saints won the big one, once – the BLASPHEMY! (last word = sarcasm) Now, the Northeast and other northern powers must take their righteous revenge (last 2 words = sarcasm).
If I am supposed to believe that EVERY ONE of the following teams – to a man, from front office executives to practice-squad punters – have somehow, miraculously as it were, entirely rejected the faintest suggestion that they gain an edge with a bounty system and diligently, successfully eschewed playing as for a bounty (and self-enforced among their own squads)…
Washington Redskins
Dallas Cowboys
Pittsburgh Steelers
Green Bay Packers
San Francisco 49-ers
Chicago Bears
New York Giants
New York Jets
New England Patriots
…then Goldman Sachs deserves a new Nobel Prize for Most Ethical Asset (And Muppet) Management Enterprise of the Past Four Millennia.
Can’t have those little flyover markets/teams stealing the spotlight too often, after all.
Conspiracy theories turn up where I least expect it.
Moving forward, I have a hard time believing that another non-Southern team will want to test your theory, and since the Saints coach is losing 7 mil., I suspect individual coaches won’t care to risk it either.
Oh, I know it’s sports-fan paranoia on my part. I just can’t believe one team is so dirty, and 30 (or is it 31?) other teams are all squeaky clean.
So are you saying that you think the other dirty teams will come clean, fess-up, take lumps and move on?
Other bounty programs have popped up in the past, but when the league inquired they stopped. Williams had a bounty program when he was with the Redskins, but when it came to light, the program was ended, and Williams’ contract was not renewed.
The Saints were in the same situation. The league looked into the bounty situation in 2010, the year after the Saints won the Superbowl. Do you remember that? No, because they were given the same chance everyone else was. The league was just looking to shut the program down. The Saints got punished now because they defied the NFL, continued the program, and lied about it.
New Orleans was treated differently than any other team. What’s different is their actions (or their actions that came to light).
Thanks for that background, tgt. I did not previously know of any of what you shared or what Jack posted – one of my blind spots in NFL-watching.
I guess what I don’t understand is the NFL’s response of non-punishment when the earlier offenses were found (if I am understanding correctly how previous discoveries of bounty programs were handled).
The NFL’s laxity seems a little like a teacher saying to students caught cheating on tests, “Well, I left the answer keys on my desk last time. It became too late to change anyone’s grades. So, from hereon I’ll keep the answer keys inside an unlocked drawer; just don’t cheat again.” And then, punishing only one repeat cheater, while at least appearing not to even investigate repeated (or first-time) cheating by any other student.
I look at it like this:
1) Was the NFL lax in permitting this before? Yes. It was still wrongful conduct, and the fact that the league was lax doesn’t make it less so.
2) Is there anything wrong with making an example of the most visible, egregious and persistent offender once the NFL announced that it was getting serious? No.
3) The fact that you can’t go back and punish everybody doesn’t mean it is unjust to punish some of those who deserve punishment. The ones who skate are the ones being treated “unjustly”. The punished get what they deserved.
The previous non-punishment fits the NFL pattern. Historically, they have swept problems under the rug and been extremely conservative in doling out punishments to teams for breaking rules. That’s why Jack was so surprised by Goodell doing the right thing here. Why has the NFL been like this? That’s a pretty complicated question, but I can think of a couple contributing factors:
1) The desire to hide problems that could turn people off the NFL. The NFL was not always the juggernaut we have today. It had to struggle for legitimacy for years, playing second fiddle to college football, and fighting off a legitimate contender as late as the mid 80s. Protecting the NFL brand from bad publicity was seen as necessary to keep the NFL alive.
2) People have flaws. The people involved with creating and running the NFL run the gamut just like everyone else. From Ralph Wilson to Al Davis. Davis was integral in creating a strong NFL, but nobody would call him a paragon of virtue.
3) It takes time for institutions to change. Nowadays, a team screwing up isn’t going to sink the NFL, but covering up a scandal could, most likely by getting congress involved, and possibly getting the NFL’s antitrust protections overturned. The bounty punishment is evidence that the NFL is moving in the right direction.
4) The NFL commisioner serves at the desire of the NFL owners. If the commish severely punishes one NFL team, he likely loses the support of that owner and anyone particularly close to that owner. There are political realities that have to be dealt with. It’s not a simple employer/employee or teacher/student situation.
Thanks Jack and thanks tgt. Your comments help me very much to calibrate my thinking with regard to the “environmental” aspects of the NFL.
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