Saints Player Punishments Released

The NFL had already dropped the hammer on the New Orleans Saints for a bounty scandal that came out in early March. Head coach Sean Payton is suspended until after the Super Bowl, and then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is out indefinitely.

Wednesday, four players who were prominently involved in the program were suspended by the league. The full press release is below.

The Packers signed defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove as a free agent after the scandal broke, so it's to be assumed the organization knew a suspension was coming. They might be surprised at the length, but the team should have already prepared to not have Hargrove at the outset of the regular season.

Four players - Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith, and Jonathan Vilma - were notified today that they have been suspended without pay for conduct detrimental to the NFL as a result of their leadership roles in the New Orleans Saints' pay-for-performance/bounty program that endangered player safety over three seasons from 2009-2011. Participation by players in any such program is prohibited by the NFL Constitution and Bylaws, the standard NFL Player Contract, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The specific discipline was determined by Commissioner Roger Goodell after a thorough review of extensive evidence corroborated by multiple independent sources. Under Article 46 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the standard NFL Player Contract, a player is subject to discipline by the commissioner for conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the NFL. The discipline imposed today for such detrimental conduct is as follows:

n Scott Fujita (now with the Cleveland Browns) is suspended without pay for the first three games of the 2012 regular season. The record established that Fujita, a linebacker, pledged a significant amount of money to the prohibited pay-for-performance/bounty pool during the 2009 NFL Playoffs when he played for the Saints. The pool to which he pledged paid large cash rewards for "cart-offs" and "knockouts," plays during which an opposing player was injured.

n Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (now with the Green Bay Packers) is suspended without pay for the first eight games of the 2012 regular season. Hargrove actively participated in the program while a member of the Saints. Hargrove submitted a signed declaration to the league that established not only the existence of the program at the Saints, but also that he knew about and participated in it. The evidence showed that Hargrove told at least one player on another team that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was a target of a large bounty during the NFC Championship Game in January of 2010. Hargrove also actively obstructed the league's 2010 investigation into the program by being untruthful to investigators.

n Will Smith of the Saints is suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2012 regular season. Smith, a defensive end, assisted Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in establishing and funding the program during a period in which he was a captain and leader of the defensive unit. Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Smith pledged significant sums to the program pool for "cart-offs" and "knockouts" of opposing players.

n Linebacker Jonathan Vilma of the Saints is suspended without pay for the 2012 NFL season, effective immediately per league policy for season-long suspensions. The investigation concluded that while a captain of the defensive unit Vilma assisted Coach Williams in establishing and funding the program. Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Vilma offered a specific bounty -- $10,000 in cash - to any player who knocked Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner out of the 2009 Divisional Playoff Game and later pledged the same amount to anyone who knocked Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game the following week (played on January 24, 2010). Vilma is eligible to be reinstated after the Super Bowl in 2013.

Fujita, Hargrove, and Smith may participate in all off-season activity, including preseason games, prior to the suspensions taking effect. Each player disciplined today is entitled to appeal the decision within three days. If an appeal is filed, Commissioner Goodell would hold a hearing at which the player may speak on his behalf and be represented by counsel.

"It is the obligation of everyone, including the players on the field, to ensure that rules designed to promote player safety, fair play, and the integrity of the game are adhered to and effectively and consistently enforced," Commissioner Goodell said. "Respect for the men that play the game starts with the way players conduct themselves with each other on the field."

The evidence conclusively demonstrated that from 2009-2011 Saints players of their own accord pledged significant amounts of their own money toward bounties, that players accepted payments for "cart-offs" and "knockouts" of injured opposing players, and that the payout amounts doubled and tripled for playoff games.

Commissioner Goodell concluded, as he did with the Saints' non-player employees, that it was appropriate to focus on those individuals who had a higher degree of responsibility and whose conduct warranted special attention. While a significant number of players participated in the pay-for-performance program, whether by contributing funds to the pool or collecting cash rewards, the players disciplined participated at a different and more significant level, Commissioner Goodell noted.

"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 potentially injured opposing players; sought rewards for doing so; and/or obstructed the 2010 investigation."

Each of the four players disciplined today met one or more of those criteria, Commissioner Goodell said.

The evidence supporting today's disciplinary decisions is based on extensive documentation and interviews with multiple sources. The information was developed by NFL Security, working with independent forensic analysts, and the disciplinary decisions are each based on evidence that has been independently corroborated by multiple sources. The facts supporting the discipline issued today are largely the same as the facts that Commissioner Goodell relied upon in March in assessing discipline on the club and several non-player employees. Those facts have been part of the public record for two months and have not been disputed by the team or the individuals involved.

"No bounty program can exist without active player participation," Commissioner Goodell said. "The evidence clearly showed that the players being held accountable today willingly and enthusiastically embraced the bounty program. Players put the vast majority of the money into this program and they share responsibility for playing by the rules and protecting each other within those rules."

The NFL Players Association received the confidential March 2 and March 21 reports on the Saints matter that were distributed to the clubs. In addition, members of the NFL staff, including the NFL Security investigators, met with NFLPA officials to review the results of their investigation. A number of current and former players, including each player disciplined today, were offered the opportunity to be interviewed with counsel present. One player (Hargrove) submitted a written statement in which he did not dispute the existence of the program, but no player agreed to be interviewed in person. In addition, the NFLPA publicly stated that it conducted its own investigation into this matter, but it has shared no information from that investigation with the NFL.

Commissioner Goodell also has advised the NFLPA of the names of all other players shown by the NFL's investigation to have participated in the Saints' pay-for-performance/bounty program but were not disciplined. The commissioner again invited the union to provide recommendations on how best to promote fair play, player safety and the elimination of bounties from the game at all levels. He said that identifying the other participants may assist the union in its stated desire to advance those goals.

Discipline for the Saints and club management was announced by the NFL on March 21. The Saints were fined $500,000 and forfeited two second-round draft choices (one in 2012 and one in 2013). In addition, suspensions without pay were issued to former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (indefinitely), head coach Sean Payton (2012 NFL season), general manager Mickey Loomis (first eight regular-season games of 2012), and assistant head coach Joe Vitt (first six regular-season games of 2012).

Gregg Williams Speech Should End Saints Appeal of Bounty Bans

Thursday, the NFL is scheduled to hear appeals by the New Orleans Saints, general manager Mickey Loomis, assistant coach Joe Vitt, and head coach Sean Payton of their respective punishments from the bounty scandal that's been all the rage. The Saints took a fine and lost two draft picks. Loomis was suspended for half the upcoming season. Vitt got a six-game ban. Payton was suspended for a year.

Also suspended was former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who has since moved on to the St. Louis Rams. Williams was suspended indefinitely -- he will miss at least the upcoming season before he can be reinstated.

After Wednesday's revelation, Williams should be informed he will never be welcome back in the league, and the Saints should just scrap the idea of trying to appeal these suspensions.

I'll let Mike Silver, the fine NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports, take it from here.

The night before Gregg Williams’ final game as the New Orleans Saints’ defensive coordinator, the since-suspended coach gave a fiery speech to the team’s defensive players during which he made specific references to inflicting physical punishment upon several San Francisco 49ers in a postseason game the next day.

In the speech at the team’s hotel near the San Francisco Airport, Williams – according to documentary filmmaker Sean Pamphilon – at one point made a hand signal suggesting he would personally pay for a ferocious shot on 49ers quarterback Alex Smith.

Williams also referenced the prospect of his players inflicting a severe knee injury upon San Francisco wideout Michael Crabtree and exhorted them to “put a lick on” backup receiver Kyle Williams in an effort to “find out” if he was still suffering from the effects of a late-December concussion.

That's the G-rated stuff.

Simply ridiculous.

I know that the Saints weren't the first -- and likely won't be the last -- team to use a bounty system to fire up players or unite them or whatever stupid excuse you want to buy into.

But as I've said numerous times before in a number of different situations, "Everyone else is doing it" is no more an excuse for breaking the rules than ignorance -- "Oh, I didn't know that was against the rules" -- is.

You don't get to stand up and say you're not worthy of a severe punishment because others are breaking the same rule. It's that simple.

The Williams audio -- available here if you can stomach it -- flies against the spirit of competition, and it is as disrespectful as anything you'll ever hear when it comes to a coach trying to fire up his team.

The audio isn't damning of Loomis or Payton. Filmmaker Sean Pamphilon, who was working on a project featuring former Saint Steve Gleason, who now suffers from ALS, said Loomis and Payton weren't present for the meeting where this particular audio was recorded.

That said, this audio should end their appeals. The team was aware of the league investigation before this playoff game. The team was aware that there was a freaking filmmaker who had access to meetings and was recording them. In a move that reeks of the ultimate "You can't touch me" arrogance, the Saints continued to allow Williams to run roughshod, letting him deliver a speech that was at the height of insanity.

Loomis didn't do anything enough to stop the bounties. Payton didn't do anything enough to stop the bounties.

Now, it's clear Williams was not backing down, even faced with the strong possibility of getting caught. His indefinite ban should be turned into a permanent one, no matter how strongly he tries to speak out against this type of behavior. He did what he did, and then he delivered his own version of an "eff you" to the NFL by continuing the program amid the ongoing league investigation.

The NFL doesn't need to mess around with reinstating this guy. Send him into retirement, where he can think indefinitely about the strong reputation he tarnished when he crossed the line and started asking his players to hurt opponents for money.

NFL Season Predictions

Most of these are available via FanHouse, but I thought I'd lay everything out there on the record, just so everyone is aware of where I stand before the Vikings game kicks off Thursday night.

Here we go.

AFC East
1. New England
2. N.Y. Jets
3. Miami
4. Buffalo

--> Jets are overrated. I really like the Patriots to have a big year. Buffalo could be the worst team in the league. No team is worse off at the quarterback position.

AFC North
1. Baltimore
2. Cincinnati (Wild Card)
3. Pittsburgh
4. Cleveland

--> The Steelers will get a sniff from some prognosticators to make the playoffs. It wouldn't surprise me, but I'll go with the teams that appear to have fewer holes, and no suspended starting quarterbacks.

AFC South
1. Indianapolis
2. Houston (Wild Card)
3. Tennessee
4. Jacksonville

--> I think this is the year Houston breaks through. They won't have quite enough to win this division, but they'll get in the playoffs for the first time.

AFC West
1. Oakland
2. San Diego
3. Kansas City
4. Denver

--> Upset city! The Raiders have a great defense ready to break through, and they'll take advantage of San Diego's personnel issues. Kansas City is getting closer.

NFC East
1. Philadelphia
2. Dallas (Wild Card)
3. Washington
4. N.Y. Giants

--> The Giants will be a good team, but not good enough. Washington is improved with Mike Shanahan, and while Dallas is severely overhyped, they're a playoff-caliber team. I love Philadelphia to prove a lot of people wrong with good play from both lines and the emergence of Kevin Kolb as the next star quarterback in the NFL.

NFC North
1. Minnesota
2. Green Bay
3. Chicago
4. Detroit

--> As already explained, I see the Vikings ahead of Green Bay at this point. Chicago is way behind unless Mike Martz and Jay Cutler have a magical season together. Look for progress -- but not a lot of wins -- out of Detroit.

NFC South
1. Atlanta
2. New Orleans
3. Carolina
4. Tampa Bay

--> This is the Falcons' year. They have a good, solid, balanced team with some great young players. New Orleans won't have much of a Super Bowl hangover, but it will be enough to cost them the division.

NFC West
1. San Francisco
2. Arizona
3. Seattle
4. St. Louis

--> The league's worst division stays that way. 49ers win by default, while Arizona barely holds off two bad teams for second place.

AFC Championship: Baltimore over New England
NFC Championship: Atlanta over San Francisco
Super Bowl: Baltimore over Atlanta

RANDOMIZATION: 12/12/07

Petrino to Arkansas. There is no defending the snake-like behavior of former Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino. The guy has a history of going back on his word, and he has a history of trying to leverage employers for raises by threatening to work elsewhere. This is the third contract that Petrino has signed in less than 18 months, and there's no reason to think that Arkansas will be his last stop as he scorches his way across the country.

ESPN's Pat Forde probably summed it up most effectively:

The disingenuous drifter doesn't love you or any other fan base. He doesn't love any school or any NFL franchise. He loves himself, his playbook and his bank account.

That's it. Don't expect it to change.

Bobby Petrino will return your embrace, Hog fans. But while he's hugging you he'll be looking over your shoulder, scanning the terrain for his next hook-up.

Even in a profession rife with dishonest posturing, Petrino is singularly mercenary. Loyalty, allegiance, commitment and honesty are foreign concepts to him. It must be a sad existence.

Ouch. This smacks of a human being who doesn't care about anything but himself. He likes to talk about doing what's best for his family, but his family can't possibly like the public image he's carved out for himself, and his family can't possibly like moving this much.

Trust me. I've moved before. It sucks.

There's nothing illegal about being selfish and phony. Politicians have made careers out of this kind of behavior, and it no longer surprises anyone when the lies and deception become public.

Not all football coaches are like this. Some of them actually keep their promises. Some of them actually mean it when they talk about how wonderful a place is and how much they like it there. Some of them actually mean it when they say that a particular position is their "dream job". Others are serious when they talk about not wanting to move away from the home they've made.

Bobby Petrino isn't the only coach who doesn't have these values. He's the latest, and he's one of the most notorious. If you're an Arkansas football fan, you can expect a lot of on-field success, probably not a lot of off-field issues, and plenty of rumors about where your coach is going to go next. Along with those rumors will come the occasional contract extension and raise at Arkansas. They mean everything in the world to Petrino, until it's time to leverage for more.

Mitchell report due. Thursday is a big day for baseball, as former U.S. Senator George Mitchell's report on steroid use in the game is going to be released.

It's to be expected that we'll get leaks over the next 12-15 hours before the actual release of the report (2pm ET Thursday). The first of those leaks is rather innocent, as it appears Mitchell will blame both baseball and the union for the drug issues in the game.

Mitchell's report is also expected to call for the testing system to be turned over to an independent company, and he will also say he believes baseball needs to test more frequently and make the system more transparent.

This report is the culmination of a 20-month investigation into drug use in baseball by Mitchell, who was given free reign by commissioner Bud Selig to conduct this investigation. Selig will not appear at Mitchell's news conference Thursday, instead holding his own news conference a couple hours after Mitchell. The union will follow with a news conference of their own closer to dinner hour.

Reports are that Mitchell will name close to 80 current and former players, but he will also state his investigation was hampered by an overall lack of cooperation. So what will he reveal? How rampant a problem is this? How much worse is the reality versus what Mitchell will present? Will Selig and the union do enough about the problem to satisfy the American public?

80 names is a lot, even if you add in a few former players who wouldn't surprise you all that much. But is the sports world prepared to see names of guys we would never suspect?

It just gets worse for the Knicks. No one is shocked that this team sucks. That was expected after all these years of letting Isiah Thomas make the basketball decisions.

However, what is truly shocking is how messed-up owner James Dolan apparently wants to let this franchise get before he pulls the plug on Thomas' disastrous reign as coach and personnel hatchet-wielder.

The whole sexual harassment mess was bad enough, but now Thomas has developed a warped viewpoint about this current team, and who is to blame for the putrid on-court product being displayed at Madison Square Garden.

Following the boo-infested defeat, which dropped the Knicks (6-14) a season-low eight games below .500, Mara Altschuler, who said she is a longtime season-ticket holder, rushed to the press table to complain that Thomas had lectured the fans behind the bench for not being more supportive.

According to Altschuler, Thomas said, "We're missing layups because you're booing." Altschuler, who worked 16 years for CBS News, said Thomas turned to make his stream of remarks in the third and fourth quarters, directing it to the first couple of rows.

I swear that I'm not making this up. This is too rich for me to make up.

Stop booing this group of multi-millionaires. You're making them upset, and you're making them play badly.

Before you ask, that 104-59 loss to the Celtics was played in Boston. Maybe the Knicks were upset because the Celtics fans were laughing so hard.

NFL WEEK ONE - FOR STARTERS

I'm not going to spend much time on this, because I have food to prepare before the game tonight. But I wanted to get a pick in.

You've read my series of NFL previews, so I will just throw a few things out there.

• Neither defense is particularly impressive.
• As a result, everyone is predicting a high-scoring game, which probably ensures us a 20-14 result.
• This game counts. Finally.

I'm with the home team tonight. I think the Colts will struggle a bit to find their rhythm, but this is Peyton Manning we're talking about, and I think he's still driven.

The pick: Indianapolis

(The rest of the NFL picks for this weekend, along with my college picks, tomorrow.)

NFL FOOTBALL '07: NFC SOUTH

(Before I begin, a few things to note. You'll read some information in these previews that was blatantly stolen from the Pro Football Prospectus book, an extremely enjoyable publication released by the brains behind Football Outsiders. I want to give my props to Aaron Schatz and all his experts for their hard work. While I don't yet comprehend everything in the book, there are some great points both about teams and individual players. It's all helped me increase my understanding of football, and the Prospectus will be an annual purchase for me as long as it's in publication.)

We now continue our series of NFL previews with a look at the NFC South. You'll notice we've gone a bit shorter with this preview. Same goes for the NFC East and NFC West. Stupid time constraints. THE SEASON OPENS TONIGHT!!!

1. New Orleans Saints
Last year: 10-6 (4-2 vs. NFC South)
Playoffs: Beat Philadelphia in NFC Divisional Playoff, Lost to Chicago in NFC Championship

There aren't many words available to describe the turnaround the Saints engineered under Sean Payton last year. Despite issues on defense, Payton's offense was relentless, racking up over 400 yards seven times, including three games of over 500 yards. Drew Brees proved to be the perfect triggerman, and while top pick Reggie Bush didn't produce many big runs, he was still a highlight waiting to happen whenever he got the ball in space.

KEY QUESTIONS
1. Can David Patten restart his career? A solid contributor in New England, Patten was invisible in Washington last year. Something about this offense and Patten's intelligence makes me think he will not be invisible here.

2. What is Bush capable of? He only went for 3.6 per carry last year, but he was a constant threat in the passing game, leading the team with 89 catches. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he doubled the eight touchdowns he scored last year, because he won't be slowed in the running game forever.

3. So, what about that defense? They actually weren't that bad most of last year, thanks in large part to DT Hollis Thomas and pass-rushing DEs Charles Grant and Will Smith. They're aging a bit in the secondary, where they will still rely heavily on CBs Mike McKenzie, Jason Craft, and Fred Thomas, all over 30.

2. Carolina Panthers
Last year: 8-8 (5-1 vs. NFC South)
Playoffs: None

Interesting note from Pro Football Prospectus: In 2006, Jake Delhomme was sacked more than three times as often on third down as he was on first/second down, and his interception rate was also tripled on third down. It's a pretty simple scenario: On third down, Delhomme found himself trying too hard and either forcing bad throws or holding on to the ball too long. Generally, the Panthers were the worst in the league on third down last year, and that's where the improvement has to start if this is to again be a playoff team and Super Bowl threat.

KEY QUESTIONS
1. Is there a way to use DeAngelo Williams more? As a rookie last year, Williams was pretty good running the football, and he was potentially explosive as a receiver, more than doubling DeShaun Foster's total receiving yards despite only having one more reception than Foster (33 to 32). I'm not going to directly compare him to Bush, but he has something special about him.

2. Is David Carr just a backup? Probably not. Delhomme has never had the look of a star, and while his numbers have been solid for most of his time in Carolina, he can't afford to not win games now that Carr is there. I think Carr was a guy who needed a change of scenery, and now that he's out of Houston, he'll be a better player.

3. Can the Panthers put it all together? They have a good group of running backs, but the passing game is sometimes shaky. The offensive line has been up and down. A really good defensive line is complimented by a secondary that lacks top-end talent and depth. If this team can stay healthy and play better week-to-week, they'll be a serious challenger in the division.

3. Atlanta Falcons
Last year: 7-9 (3-3 vs. NFC South)
Playoffs: None

What an offseason in Atlanta. First, they fired coach Jim Mora and brought in offensive guru Bobby Petrino from Louisville. Then, they watched in horror as the face of the franchise, QB Michael Vick, was implicated, indicted, and then entered a guilty plea in a federal dogfighting case. Imagine being the Minnesota Vikings this weekend. They're probably equally jubilant and wary, because while this could be a very bad team this year, we have no idea how they'll respond when the games count.

KEY QUESTIONS
1. Is this the right fit for Joey Harrington? On one hand, it's a quick-hit offense that will rely on precision passing and not a lot of "hold on to the ball and hope something good happens", which Harrington has been plagued by in the past. On the other hand, it's Joey Harrington.

2. Will Petrino run the ball enough? His offense is known as being wide-open, but he did run it well at Louisville. One would assume the same principles will apply here, especially with the talented Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood available.

3. What's with this secondary? The safeties were a huge problem last year, making corners like Jimmy Williams and DeAngelo Hall look lost because they weren't getting any deep help. With Patrick Kerney gone from the defensive line, the secondary will be under even more pressure to improve themselves, but the personnel is sketchy.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last year: 4-12 (0-6 vs. NFC South)
Playoffs: None

Perhaps you were busy watching the offense continually struggle to move the chains, but the Buccaneers appear to no longer have a lights-out defense. PFP points out that the Bucs spent much money this offseason trying to upgrade that defense. That's good, because the defense was heading in the wrong direction. It's bad, because it doesn't add personnel to a struggling offense. We'll see if Jon Gruden can do with Jeff Garcia what Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg did last year.

KEY QUESTIONS
1. Is the defense better? Unquestionably, yes. Rookie Gaines Adams opens as a "backup" to RDE Patrick Chukwurah, but that's temporary. He'll emerge as a starter before long. The upgrades at LB and the secondary, headed up by Jeremiah Trotter and Cato June, will go a long way toward improving the Bucs' speed on defense.

2. Can Garcia do it again? The laws of physics say "probably not". He's a year older, and the talent here isn't as good as it is in Philadelphia. Even if they can get David Boston playing at a high level again, this group of receivers doesn't scare anyone.

3. Who is the real Cadillac Williams? After bursting on the scene as a rookie, Williams had problems last year, averaging just 3.6 yards per carry. He was a non-factor as a receiver. Overall, he had more fumbles (two) than touchdowns (one). Ouch.