NFL: Saints Bounty Thread

[ATLBound]

(09-04-2012 04:50 PM)AsylumGuido Wrote:  If the injury came as the result of a bad play or an illegal hit, then no, they didn't get paid. In turn, they would have had to pay a fine to the pot.

And once again, causing pain is what these guys do for a living. Even without any monetary incentive every defense in the league goes over the game tape and the players are congratulated for big hits and whacks (plays where a DB knocks his opponent off his feet).

But, regardless, the Saints were NOT accused of or punished for inflicting pain or causing injury to opposing players. The Saints were accused of and punished for placing bounties on specific players with the intent of injuring them, not just causing pain. And once again, the players and coaches were sure enough that this was not going on that they opened themselves to Federal perjury charges by swearing that this did not occur.

Straight from the horse's mouth:

"In assessing player discipline," Commissioner Goodell said, "I focused on players who were in leadership positions at the Saints; contributed a particularly large sum of money toward the program; specifically contributed to a bounty on an opposing player; demonstrated a clear intent to participate in a program that [b]potentially injured opposing players[/b]; sought rewards for doing so; and/OR obstructed the 2010 investigation."

It certainly is a play on words, but he didn't falsely punish anybody because of this statement and the parts that I bolded, italicized, and underlined.

Also because he used the word "OR", then any ONE of those things listed there will suffice.

Which is why I say the punishment was excessive, but not false.