-
Artur Davis Says Scandals Are Real
May 19, 2013 | 2 comments
-
Good New Book: ‘Precipice’
May 19, 2013 | 1 comment
-
A Long Record of Obamite Thuggery
May 16, 2013 | 4 comments
-
DeMint Supports Defense
May 14, 2013 | 5 comments
-
Update on Tom Perez
May 14, 2013 | 0 comments
The Spectacle Blog
The penalties handed out today to various officials (or former officials) of the New Orleans Saints (with player penalties coming later) by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell were absolutely justified, and remarkably similar to those I advocated here at the AmSpec a few weeks ago. My earlier understanding of the respective culpability of Saints GM Mickey Loomis and Saints Head Coach Sean Payton was approximately backwards (both culpable, but earlier reports had Loomis more culpable than Payton), and the ultimate penalties therefore were reversed. As for scofflaw defensive coach Gregg Williams, now with the Rams, he has been banned indefinitely rather than for life — but I believe the ban will, in the end, amount to a de facto lifetime banishment.
If I were Saints owner Tom Benson, I would fire Payton. Flat-out fire him. It’s almost mpossible to have an “interim” coach for a whole season, with the shadow of another coach, due to come back in a year, hanging over the whole organization. Plus, of course, Payton has correctly been adjudged to be horribly morally deficient. Remember that this isn’t his first tawdry episode: He also was accused of/reumored to be involved in a prescription drug scandal; and he has been associated publicly with a couple of questionable financial schemes or operators.
I also would not even wait for the league to sanction players; I would immediately order that middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma be released, and I would use the cap savings to help sign quarterback Drew Brees to a long-term contract (if he’ll even sign it, considering the scandal), and/or to aggressively seek a major pass-rushing specialist.
The likely result of this whole situation is that the Saints will fall back to mediocrity for a while. If so… well, so be it.
The Saints have been sinners. They deserve to be roasted.
View all comments (32) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Quin Hillyer
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/03/21/saints-sanctioned-correctly
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
Current Issue
- Ailes: A Voice for the Silent Majority
- We Have Her Example
- A Nation on the Edge
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
Cpm| 3.21.12 @ 1:56PM
but...but...but....Katrina!
WL| 3.21.12 @ 2:07PM
Congrats Quin...
I wish the NFL would copy my ideas about punishment. I think you ought to sue them for not telling the truth about how they copied your column in handing down the punishment.
Great Job Commissioner Quin.
Oldefarte| 3.22.12 @ 11:58AM
Yeah, I see a lawsuit coming alright....and it'll be Shawn Slayton and/or Grog Zilliams versus the NFL and Comm Goodwell!!!!!!!
JmsA| 3.21.12 @ 2:13PM
Was Vilma the only on-the-field perpetrator? This whole thing truly stinks, including the as of yet absent player(s) sanctions.
Oldefarte| 3.22.12 @ 11:59AM
Hell, Vilma wasn't even playing during most of that time due to his injuries!!!!!!!!
Oldefarte| 3.21.12 @ 3:40PM
I respectfully disagree profoundly. The Saints were not and have not doing anything that hasn't been done for most of my lifetime observing NFL games. Anybody remember the Jack Tatum-Darrell Stingley episode??????? Where were the NFL officials then? The only difference between the Saints and other teams is that THE SAINTS GOT CAUGHT AT IT sadly. Each and every other team has occurrances of a BOUNTY on opposing teams and players, and any NFL investigation that determines otherwise is a fasehood and a hypocritical lie [and if then all NFL teams are punished, so be it!]. Oh, and google NFL penalties assessed per team and observe that the Saints were ranked 10th from the top [as in LEAST PENALIZED PER GAME, PER YARDAGE ASSESSED ETC], so how can the hypocritical NFL commissioner and officials say that their paid game officials were not negligent or inept in not penalizing the Saints for 2011 with all of their supposedly hit jobs and bounty system is ludicrous and stupid. Why aren't the NFL officials-referees being punished/fined/fired for not doing their jobs? Are they deaf, dumb and blind or just inept in performing their jobs? What/who was the ultimate culprit of exposing this Saints bounty system to the public and what was the motivation of same [was the Saints fired/replaced defensive coordinator guilty of same as payback to the Saints perhaps and if so, he got suspended indefinately]? As I can't see the Saints players supposedly guilty of these actions ratting out their team and teamates [especially when they are no doubt aware of the NFL wide occurrance of these actions]. I think it hypocritical of Goodell and the NFL to sanction the Saints when they know damn well that all NFL teams are doing likewise and have been doing so for decades. It's another political example of what's known as ''''''CWA'''''''!!!!!!
Oldefarte| 3.21.12 @ 3:45PM
Political pundits want the choirboy BS of Santorum to crusade to victory in November and now want the NFL to become touch football. It ain't gonna happen in either case thankfully!!!!
JmsA| 3.21.12 @ 10:23PM
No one wants touch football, but fair play without the onus and final object of injuring and threatening other players' livelihood should be checked.
WL| 3.21.12 @ 11:51PM
Oldfarte,
I guess the Highway patrol should quit giving tickets because they know everybody speeds huh? or steroids or etc etc etc....
I don't think so. I am a Saints fan, and I hate to see this happen...BUT, they got caught....
Sorry, but they ain't no Saints!!!!
Oldefarte| 3.22.12 @ 11:25AM
Like I said correctly, THEY ''''AIN'T''''' THE ONLY NFL TEAM DOIN THIS, and anyone saying otherwise is a fool. The entire/whole NFL [all teams] should be punished. That would be the most equitable punishment, not to penalize one team. The Commiss says their investigation found that this bounty system did not exist on any previous tram coached by Williams, to which I say BS!!!!!!!!!!
Oldefarte| 3.22.12 @ 11:28AM
PS: Also like I said above, google NFL penalties per team and see where the Saints are in that ranking.......5th [as in 5th LEAST PENALIZED and with the notorious Raiders LAST as in MOST PENALIZED]. So Goodell should punish his referees for ineptness, huh??????
Awlhattin O'Kaddle| 3.21.12 @ 3:56PM
Suspending the head coach for an entire season for this is way too harsh.
Five games ? or so ? OK !
Stiff Fines ? Fine !
This year, The Saints Go Frog Marchin' In.
Mike Daly | 3.21.12 @ 4:06PM
The Saints didn't do anything wrong. "Bounties" didn't qualify as dirty hits, and none of the hits cited by Goodell qualify as such. Roger Goodell is reacting with moralistic fury because he doesn't understand football and a team has been hosed again by him.
Oldefarte| 3.22.12 @ 11:29AM
No he's just a typical lying hypocrite!!!!
Todd S| 3.21.12 @ 4:51PM
Did you even watch the game against Minnesota where they were clearly targeting Brett Favre with late hits and diving at his ankles? I don't even like Favre but it was clear they were trying to hurt him. You better believe that lawyers are looking to make class action lawsuits against the NFL from former players and Goodell has to take serious action or the NFL will be in serious jeopardy in the coming years. Not too mention that spectators want to watch the star quarterbacks and not have them knocked out by cheap shots. To try to win by deliberately injuring your opponents is disgraceful, they got what they deserved and the message has been sent.
GW| 3.21.12 @ 5:08PM
If they were, then the refs on the field should have thrown flags when warranted. If anything, the bounty was an extra incentive for the Saint's D to play hard.
Goodell is nothing more than a power-hungry lunatic. I blame no one but the NFLPA which didn't negotiate better checks and balances away from King Goodell. The league is nothing short of a dictatorship.
Mike Daly | 3.21.12 @ 7:21PM
They were hitting him high the whole game. The Saints got penalized nine times in that game versus five penalties for the Vikings. The lawyers have no ground to stand on here and former players have even less ground - their sole motivation is the league has far more money now and former players didn't handle their money properly so they want to take a cut from today's players.
The Saints didn't play any worse than most teams - if you want to indict a team for dirty play then indict John Madden and the 1970s Oakland Raiders of George Atkinson and Jack Tatum. Those were dirty teams. What the Saints did was good football - what Roger Goodell does is maniacal thin-skinned bullying.
Oldefarte| 3.22.12 @ 11:55AM
Then were the Saints heavily penalized in that Minesota game accordingly by the refs, and if not, why not? Lawyers? Shazam now thats a respectible reference, huh? Chasing ambulances to obtain victims so that same can be used to legally sue insurance companies for their 50%....and you call that reputable???????
Paul| 3.22.12 @ 11:57AM
Yeah, you really think the players in the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, for a team that had never been to a Super Bowl, that they were motivated by bounties? The hits may have been late, but they weren't hard. Have some common sense and share it with the other whining Vikings fans: if ANYTHING motivated them to play hard in that game, it was the fact that winning meant a trip to the Super bowl, NOT a few k extra dollars from a bounty system.
John - TMF| 3.21.12 @ 6:51PM
Just wait for the "Pro Bowl Rules", no blitzing, no zone coverage with and then the red shirt comes out for the quarterback. (do panties and a skirt come with those football pants?)
This was the most unjust, idiotic, dictatorial, sanctimonious, self-important actions in the history of the NFL.
Bounty pools have been going on as long as football has been played... In high school and college the rewards between kids are usually less monetary and more "intoxicating", but with adulthood comes adult things and that means money.
The coaches should be protesting this at the tops of their lungs... but everyone is scattering hiding in their 'fraidy holes... hoping that the Grim Penalizer - (thought - is Roger Goodell's favorite super hero "The Punisher"?) will pass them by.
Goodell is turning the NFL into tragedy. Defenses will be left defenseless. Offenses inoffensive... and players fined heavily for even minor infractions or perceived infractions.
I have seen quite a few organizations run with the Goodell style operating. None of them survived. People quit, the departments were re-organized, and finally somebody got smart and figured out who the real problem was; in this case it's Goodell.
The NFL is starved for a new Pete Rozelle, even a Paul Tagliabue... someone bold and innovative, or just and consolidating. What it has now is mini-Stalin with arbitrary punishments, wild over the top actions, and spiteful actions that belittle players and coaches.
If the coaches association and NFLPA had any real stones they'd demand Goodell's removal, and a more consistent, common sense adjudication system in the league.
Sean Peyton probably deserved to have his hands slapped.. a fine consistent with the job of head coach, and a two game suspension would have sufficed.
Greg Williams probably needed a healthy half season suspension, and a hefty fine as well.
Someone needs to address the players... maybe the players themselves...
This was Zero Tolerance nonsense, and someone with more muscle than Commisar Goodell needs to push the RESET switch on the entire affair.
r/TMF
Mike Daly | 3.21.12 @ 7:23PM
http://thesportslawprofessor.b.....andal.html
The reality of Roger Goodell and his ignorance of football was first exposed in "Spygate" when he betrayed a shocking ignorance of his own league's rulebook and bylaws and punished a team because the coach involved knew the rules and the bylaws better than Goodell did.
Ken (Old Texican)| 3.21.12 @ 9:12PM
In college...I was a knuckle-baller left handed...and could not be hit.
I had to bat at least three times per game. My head was the target.
Cheap shots should be simply ejection from a game... for the coach AND the cheap shot player.
WL| 3.21.12 @ 11:58PM
For the witty and sharp crowd you guys usually are, you really missed the boat on this one...
The real story here is that the players and all the rest of their ilk are getting their faces rubbed in the dirt by the power brokers...(and they deserve it)...
Those union thugs, tried their crap this offseason (like union thugs always do) and played the ol Player safety card in order to shake down the owners...and now the owners are teaching the stooges a lesson by exposing their blatant hypocrisy....on the matter. Since it happened primarily to coaches (the only non represented party) the owners are accomplishing two things...
1. Encouraging GM's and Coaches to be on their side.
2. Sending a powerful shot across the bow of the players union.
Trust me on this.
I could be a writer here at the American Spectator but Quin wouldn't like that...
Because he just got SCOOPED!!!!
Oldefarte| 3.22.12 @ 11:37AM
You probably ARE a writer, and sorry you didn't scoop anything on this:
'.....Free-agent tight end Jeremy Shockey fired back at NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp, claiming there is no way he would ever have been the source of information that led to the bounty investigation by the NFL and severe penalties against the New Orleans Saints.“It’s reckless, it’s careless, it’s hurtful to me and the great time I had with the Saints,” .... Mar 19, 2012 [ Michael Silver: Roger Goodell will not tolerate lying, disrespect ]Jeremy Shockey had 3 catches in the Super Bowl for the Saints.Shockey then twice offered to take a polygraph test to prove his innocence.The accusation by Sapp threatens to undercut the NFL’s policy of protecting sources. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has repeatedly said the league would protect “whistleblowers” who reported violations of league policy.The NFL Network is owned by the NFL. Sapp initially made his claim about Shockey via Twitter.NFL spokesman Greg Aiello offered no explanation when asked why the NFL Network was allowed to air Sapp’s claims or why Sapp, a league employee, was allowed to make the claim in the first place.However, Sapp’s report could have a huge chilling effect on the league’s ability to investigate any team. Without protection, particularly from the league itself, there may be no way to get people to come forward with information about violations.On Wednesday, the league levied heavy penalties on the Saints, including a one-year suspension of Payton and the loss of two second-round draft picks, and on former New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was suspended indefinitely.From there, Sapp went on NFL Network to defend his source, going so far as to say: “My source that was close to the situation informed me that Jeremy Shockey is the one that was the snitch initially. I trust my source unequivocally.”
Shockey responded by going on Twitter to offer to take a polygraph and expanded that to say he would take one on live television. He also took several thinly veiled shots at Sapp. The two both played at the University of Miami, although at different times. Shockey said that any loyalty from their common background, “Ended right there” on Wednesday.“I know Sean Payton’s family and I have been around them. I have been to his son’s birthday parties. I’ve had my family around him. We’re friends,” said Shockey, who scored the winning touchdown in New Orleans’ Super Bowl XLIV victory over the Indianapolis Colts two years ago. “I loved my time in New Orleans and now people are killing me on social media thinking I did this. I love Who Dat nation.”Shockey played for the Saints from 2008 to 2010. He was also coached by Payton prior to that when both men were with the New York Giants.“I was never in the defensive meeting rooms to know anything about what went on in there and I’ve never been asked to try and hurt someone on the opposing team. Nobody ever said, ‘Oh, go take out [Minnesota defensive end] Jared Allen and you can make some money.’ I never been about hurting someone. I’ve paid guys for getting a big interception or returning a kickoff for a touchdown, if you want to call that a bounty.
“But that was just among the players. When we did that stuff, we told the coaches to leave. I called Heath Evans and Drew Brees to talk to them about this to make sure they knew I would never talk about stuff that happened in the locker room.“Sapp can say what he wants about me, but if he really says that he’ll put his life on the line for his source, we’ll see. I’ve never been a guy who failed multiple drug tests. I’ve never been divorced. I don’t have four kids by four different women. I don’t lie. This attacks my character and it’s not fair.”.....'
franklin christensen | 3.22.12 @ 3:16AM
I like this post,And I guess that they having fun to read this post,they shall take a good site to make a information,thanks for sharing it to me.
Are you interested to know about naples commercial photography.
porno | 3.22.12 @ 5:32AM
Talking about real estate loving it Here’s some mildly amuzing stuff I found: Thought for the day? : Crime doesn’t pay… does that mean my job is a crime?
Oldefarte| 3.22.12 @ 11:46AM
'.....NFL Conspiracy Theory on Saints Bounty SBy Patrick Michael, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Mar 3, 3:35 pm EST...Black FridayIt was exactly 4:10 pm and I was just about to get onto the Earhart Expressway. I was listening to FM radio in my car when the DJ broke in and mentioned something about one of the darkest days in New Orleans Saints history. He suggested tuning into WWL 870 AM for more information, which I hurriedly did.My first thought was that the Saints had broken off negotiations with Drew Brees and were allowing their franchise QB to sign elsewhere. When I realized the breaking news was actually the New Orleans bounty scandal, I began to get feeling back in my body. However, as more details emerged, I knew this would be one of those days where I remembered the exact moment I heard the news.New Orleans Saints bounty scandal...I managed to write an article on the Saints bounty scandal Friday night. However, now that I've had a chance to sleep on this, I'm starting to see things in a different light. When you put all the pieces of the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal together, it's actually the NFL who comes away looking dirty.Conspiracy theory...Consider this. Allegedly, the NFL uncovered evidence of Gregg Williams' stupid bounty system in New Orleans after the 2009 season. Did the NFL put a stop to it? Did the NFL penalize the Saints? No. Supposedly, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell asked New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson to put a stop to the bounties.Really? If bounties are so terrible in the NFL, why did Goodell, the supposed champion of NFL safety, let the New Orleans Saints off with a warning? I'll tell you why. The New Orleans Saints were good for business. The NFL's best offense brought in big ratings and huge merchandise sales.Meanwhile, eight Saints defenders were failing to tackle Seattle Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch in the playoffs. And the New Orleans defense was making Alex Smith look like Joe Montana. Once the 2011 season officially ended, Saints fans started looking forward to Super Bowl 47 in New Orleans.Super Bowl 47 in New OrleansAnd I am convinced, therein lies the problem. As long as the New Orleans Saints were bringing money into the NFL, the bounties were not that big of a deal. But now that the NFL was facing the most likely chance ever of a team playing at home in the Super Bowl, it had to deal with the bounties.It has been reported that the NFL has over 50,000 pages of evidence of the New Orleans Saints bounty system. It has also been reported that the NFL reopened its bounty investigation after "new evidence" came to light near the end of the 2011 season. It is inconceivable that the NFL amassed that much evidence in a couple of months.I am glad to see so many "recently retired" NFL players coming forward saying that bounties go on everywhere in the NFL. Most of the breaking news on Saturday concerns allegations of bounties under Gregg Williams with the Washington Redskins. If the New Orleans Saints are the only NFL team punished by Goodell for bounties, it will confirm my belief that the NFL doesn't want the Saints playing in Super Bowl 47.The timing of the bounty revelations couldn't be worse for New Orleans. The Saints are trying to sign Drew Brees and New Orleans is preparing to enter the free agency period. Also, the 2012 NFL Draft is right around the corner.I'm not excusing the New Orleans Saints for running a bounty system. In fact, I'd like to see Gregg Williams banned from the NFL. But if bounties are so egregious, then why weren't the New Orleans Saints punished after the 2009 season? And why aren't other NFL teams coming under fire?Patrick Michael lives in New Orleans and has always been a big fan of the New Orleans Saints. Patrick's favorite Saints season was 2009 when New Orleans won Super Bowl 44.....'
Oldefarte| 3.22.12 @ 9:54PM
Once again WHY ARE THE SAINTS THE ONLY TEAM BEING PENALIZED?????
[Wiki] '.....However, according to many former players, bounty systems of some sort have been around the NFL for decades.....after the Saints' bounty system came to light, four former Redskins players, as well as a coach, told The Washington Post that Williams operated a similar system while he was the Redskins' defensive coordinator from 2004 to 2007. The players said that Williams paid his crew thousands of dollars for aggressive play, with the biggest payouts—as much as $8,000—coming for "kill shots" that knocked opposing players out of games.[21] Chicago Tribune NFL analyst Matt Bowen later wrote in one of his regular columns that the bounty pool was funded by fines for mistakes made during practice and in games, and insisted similar systems operated on other teams.[22]Several former Bills players subsequently told The Buffalo News of a similar system during Williams' tenure as Bills' head coach from 2001 to 2003. However, they didn't agree on whether there were rewards for intentionally injuring players. Coy Wire, a safety during Williams' tenure, said that Williams gave bonuses for hits that left opponents seriously injured, and two other players said that bonuses were also awarded for "knockouts." However, linebacker Eddie Robinson, who played for Williams in Houston and Tennessee as well as in Buffalo, acknowledged an incentive pool but said he never heard Williams favor deliberately injuring other players.[23] Ruben Brown, a guard for the Bills during Williams's time as coach there, denied there was any sort of bounty system in place in Buffalo,[24] a position reiterated by linebacker London Fletcher and then-general manager Tom Donahoe.[25][26]On March 4, The Post reported that the NFL is investigating the allegations against Williams with the Redskins.[27]NBC Sports NFL analyst Tony Dungy later told Profootballtalk.com he was certain that Williams operated a similar bounty system while he was defensive coordinator of the Oilers/Titans from 1997 to 2000. He also believes that Williams put a bounty on Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning during Super Bowl XLIV, and targeted Manning on several occasions while with the Titans. The revelation of the bounty system also caused renewed speculation about a 2006 game between the Redskins and Colts, in which Manning was knocked down by a high-low hit from the Redskins' Phillip Daniels and Andre Carter and appeared to lose some feeling in his neck. While Dungy didn't speculate at the time about whether the Redskins targeted Manning on that play, he believes that hit ultimately caused the neck problems that sidelined Manning for the entire 2011 season and led to his departure for the Denver Broncos afterward. [28]
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark, who played under Williams in Washington from 2004-2005 and himself was fined by the NFL $40,000 for a helmet-to-helmet hit against Baltimore Ravens tight end Ed Dickson during the just-concluded season,[29] defended Williams, saying that he never ran a bounty program with the Redskins and has yet to see one during his time in the NFL. Clark added that he would've reported Williams or any coach that would offer to run such a program.[30] The Steelers released a statement on their official web site mentioning that the team does not condone any sort of bounty program.[31......'
Pete| 3.22.12 @ 12:02PM
I am very disappointed in Payton. He was a student in my Trig class at EIU. Here is a guy who held the passing records at EIU until Tony Romo came along. Hopefully he used his trig to construct his passing routes that have been such a success. What had impressed me about Payton as a qb was his ability to take a sack, and come back up and throw a 30 yard pass on the next play. He was fearless.
But head-hunting? Not cool.
Paul| 3.22.12 @ 12:07PM
Quin, you are way off. All this is (or at least the bulk) is the Saints are being made an example of for the NFL, who is becoming ever more image-conscious, with "player safety" becoming the new political correctness. Additionally, there have been 80 or more civil suits filed by injured former players, so this is a big CYA move by the NFL. This bounty system, without illegal hits, is a toothless motivational tool that is done by EVERY TEAM, even if there may not be an actual monetary reward. Do you think there is any defensive player in the NFL who doesn't want to knock opposing players out of the game? Maybe in your favorite team, but you need to man up here and stop acting like the Left. There have been far worse crimes committed off the field by players who have received weaker (if any) sanctions. Stallworth. Vick. Roethlisberger. Lewis. Henry. Irvin. Tank Johnson. Burress. Oh, but we must wring our hands because the Saints defense tried to HURT the other team!! I know on the coasts and in the Midwest people like to look down their noses at us in the South, but just because our football is the best doesn't mean you should cheer our roadblocks, especially the BS ones like this.
Paul| 3.22.12 @ 12:10PM
And no, growing up in New Orleans doesn't add to your credibility. It makes you a self-loathing coonass!