When Gregg Williams was hired by the New Orleans Saints previous to the 2009 season to become the defensive coordinator, it was widely trumpeted as a welcome addition, the kind of hire that would transform a lackadaisical unit into one of potential greatness. Pressuring the quarterback and a bravado usually reserved for prizefighters are hallmarks of a Williams led defense. The results of the hire were felt almost automatically, as the Saints went on to win the Superbowl during Williams‘ first year, and made playoff appearances the two subsequent years following. Players seemed to respond to Williams’ methods very well. Former player Matt Bowen called Williams in his Chicago Tribune piece “the best coach I ever player for.”
Violence and football has been and will always be joined at the hip. The NFL, who legislates such violence, faces a slippery slope with the American viewing public. There was once a point in time that big hits were not only celebrated, but were profited on by the league itself. Such is not the case in 2012. Commissioner Rodger Goodell has put player safety near the very top of his priority list, and with good reason. This isn’t 1980 pro football. Players in today’s game are bigger, stronger, and faster than their counterparts from just a generation ago. The field of play hasn’t changed or gotten bigger, but its inhabitants have. The line between marketing the physicality and excitement that only football can bring and keeping players safe for both the short and long term has become increasingly thin and murky.
With that being said, is it really that big of a surprise that a bounty program exists in the NFL? Incentive attached to hits in football hasn’t always been financial; helmet stickers are given out to 12 year olds playing the sport at a pee-wee level.
Most analysts agree that the penalties levied against the Saints will be harsher than ones handed out to the New England Patriots during the 2007 Spygate scandal. The forfeiture of draft choices, fines to ownership, coaches, and players, as well as possible suspensions for participating parties are all possible. Gregg Williams, a once hot name in the past for possible head coaching positions, might not ever get that opportunity again.
For Saints GM Mickey Loomis, this couldn’t come at a worse time. The news of the bounty program comes at a time when the status of his franchise quarterback (who, ironically, only came to New Orleans after being injured after a vicious hit) was up in the air. Add the forfeiture of multiple draft picks for the next two years, and Loomis has his hands full. Credit Mickey for re-signing Colston. If that would have fallen through, I am almost certain that Loomis would have been the most hated man in New Orleans since former FEMA head/horse aficionado Michael Brown.
Sean Payton doesn’t go without fault as well. His knowledge of the program, as well as not doing anything to curtail it, makes Payton as much as a guilty party as Loomis. Hindsight is always 20-20, but it is now apparent that Williams was given too much free range. The responsibility ultimately falls onto Payton, and his indecision and lack of action will cost the Saints dearly.
Players also share much of the blame for this entire scandal. According to SI’s Peter King, MLB Jonathan Vilma offered defensive teammates $10,000 to anyone who could take out then Vikings QB Brett Favre during the 2009 NFC Championship Game. Favre was hit various times throughout the game, eventually leading to offseason ankle surgery. The talk from players that the NFL is a “brotherhood” is a complete fabrication. If such was the case, dirty plays from Saints players (like this one from Roman Harper) wouldn’t exist.
Athletes are competitive by nature. I get it. Gambling in locker rooms is pretty commonplace. (Cut to a roomful of NBA players nodding.) There is, however, a line, one that you would think would be pretty clear and understandable for players. No one would ever try to go out and purposely hurt a fellow player, right? I would hope not. That sentiment didn’t reflect in the Saints locker room during the Williams era. “Unity” and “brotherhood”, apparently, are terms only reserved for labor negotiations.
Finally, ownership needs to take criticism on the bounty issue. Tom Benson, who went to Loomis about the program and told him to stop it, should have gone to Goodell directly when it was apparent that his requests were falling upon deaf ears. Would a firing of Loomis be largely detrimental for the Saints? Absolutely. Loomis is a top five NFL GM and has assembled a team that will continue to be competitive for the foreseeable future. But totally side-stepping your boss gets anyone else fired automatically. Because Benson made his bed when he decided to keep Loomis, it is time for ownership to lay in it.
Absolute disgust. That is the best explanation of what I have felt about the whole bounty-gate scandal since it broke. This will certainly give the Saints and the city of New Orleans a huge black eye, and one that might not go away anytime soon. Mismanagement and ineptitude from all levels of the coaching staff, front office, and players themselves have led to one of the biggest sports scandals in recent history. The scope and depth of who knew what and how long they knew it will be exposed in the next few days and weeks. Whatever the punishment may be, hopefully the Saints will be able to bounce back positively.
