There were reports that the punishment for the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program would be pretty severe. I didn’t think the punishment would be this severe. Roger Goodell has suspended head coach Sean Payton for a year without pay. Assistant head coach Joe Vitt has been suspended for six games. General manager Mickey Loomis has been suspended for eight games. Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely. The franchise has also been fined $500,000 and will forfeit its second-round picks in both the 2012 and 2013 NFL Drafts.
With Goodell’s primary focus being player safety, punishing the Saints was a no-brainer. This punishment also sends a deafening message to the other franchises in the league and will undoubtedly make players and coaches think twice before setting up any sort of bounty program.
All in all, great news for Falcons fans.
