In this unpredictable, headline-grabbing offseason, not even hot
topics such as overtime or instant replay can push aside the New
Orleans Saints and their bounty program.NFL owners
completed their meetings Wednesday by passing several significant rules
changes, including expanding the postseason OT rules to the regular
season and having all turnovers reviewed by the replay official, just
as all scoring plays currently are.
Other NFL coaches offered their take on Commissioner Roger Goodell’s hefty punishments for Payton and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was suspended indefinitely for overseeing the bounty pool that offered payouts for damaging hits to targeted opponents.
Most coaches said they found it important to discuss. And not only with the media, but with their teams.
“The whole league will talk about it,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Wednesday. “The commissioner wants the entire league to make sure it’s discussed — to go forward using it as an example, to stress there is no place for that in our league.”
Several coaches echoed Coughlin, with the hope they will need to bring it up only once to their players. Clubs will gather for workouts in mid-April.
“It’s definitely necessary to mention it,” said Ron Rivera, whose Carolina Panthers play the Saints twice a year in the NFC South. “The precedent has been set by the commissioner and they need to understand that and it is not to be broached again. Going forward, we won’t have to go over these things again.”
Goodell reiterated the league’s strong stance against non-contract bonuses such as the bounty program that cost New Orleans a $500,000 fine and two second-round draft choices. Goodell said the league will not allow any cash payments between players, whether the clubs are involved or not.
“It’s not permissible and we are going to take that out of the game,” he said.
Goodell expects to speak with players’ union head DeMaurice Smith before the end of the week and hopes to have the NFLPA’s recommendations on punishment for players involved in the bounties by then or soon after. The league will be scheduling additional hearings in the investigation.
Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz stressed how easy it is to cross the line from acceptable rewards to something sinister.
Schwartz said past awards he’s given out while working for the Tennessee Titans and the Lions — baseball bats or a boxing glove for big hits — had league approval, because they didn’t have any monetary significance.
“It was part of the game-ball program. It wasn’t part of anything else,” Schwartz said. “A recognition system has been in effect for football since pee wee ball. We give out game balls. We give out trophies at the end of the season for all different things. A lot of colleges give out stickers on helmets; high schools give out stickers on helmets. There’s a big difference between things like that and things like bounties.”