5
Apr
2012
Listen to Gregg Williams’ bounty speech that should end any hope of a Saints appeal (AUDIO)
On the very day that Saints head coach Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis are appealing their suspensions with the NFL for their involvement in the bounty scandal, Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports drops a bombshell that should effectively stop that appeal process in its tracks.
In it, Silver reveals that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams specifically directed his players to injure members of the 49ers prior to their post-season meeting in January, and made “hand gestures” signalling that he would pay money to whoever took out QB Alex Smith.
(Photo: Matthew Sharpe/Getty Images via BleacherReport)
Silver got the audio from filmmaker Sean Pamphilon of the United States of Football, who had access to Saints team functions for much of the 2011 season while working on a documentary. The speech in question came during a defensive team meeting the night before the Jan. 15 playoff game, in which Williams delivers a profanity-laced tirade intended to inspire his troops to battle. It would be the Saints last game of the season, and Williams would be fired two days later.
Perhaps most damaging to the Saints cause is the timing of Williams’ speech, which would have come well after the NFL had alerted the Saints that they were looking into the bounty program, and right after the league re-opened the investigation and specifically directed owner Tom Benson and Loomis to put a stop to it. The 49ers game was just two weeks later, and while you can’t actually hear the hand gestures, Pahmphilon says he believes “there’s no doubt at all” that Williams put a bounty on Smith in the meeting. And if that’s the case, it means that Loomis and Payton – who were not present at the meeting – clearly didn’t take enough action in policing their own staff.
UPDATE: The Saints are already trying to paint Williams as a “rogue” coach on his way out the door, who acted in defiance of his superiors. It’s clear that Payton and Loomis are going to set Williams up as the fall guy in an effort to lessen their own punishments, but we’ll see how much water that holds with Roger Goodell.
The relevant audio from Williams speech is below, but here are a few of the more notable gems:
QUOTES AND AUDIO AFTER THE JUMP
21
Mar
2012
Goodell drops the hammer on Saints; suspends Sean Payton for 1 year
The NFL finally handed down its punishment for the Saints bounty program today, and it’s about as severe as you’d expect from a commissioner trying to clean up the league’s violent image. Head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for one year without pay, and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (now with the Rams) has been suspended indefinitely for their part in a system that gave out cash rewards to players for injuring opponents from 2009-2011.
Payton was reportedly "stunned" by the news (Photo: SBNation.com)
As if that weren’t enough bad news for New Orleans fans, the Saints were also fined $500,000, and will forfeit their 2nd round picks in 2012 and 2013. Furthermore, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has been suspended for eight games, assistant head coach Joe Vitt has been suspended 6 games without pay, and individual player punishments are still forthcoming. All of the suspensions begin on April 1st except for Williams, whose suspension starts immediately.
You can read the complete release from the NFL here, but we’ll go ahead and highlight the most relevant sections:
“We are all accountable and responsible for player health and safety and the integrity of the game,” Commissioner Goodell said. “We will not tolerate conduct or a culture that undermines those priorities. No one is above the game or the rules that govern it. Respect for the game and the people who participate in it will not be compromised.”
8
Mar
2012
Did Peyton Manning’s neck issues start with a Gregg Williams bounty back in 2006? (VIDEO)
Was this the moment that changed Manning's career forever?
The two biggest stories in the NFL right now are Peyton Manning’s release from the Colts, and the bounty system run by Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams while with the Saints and Redskins before them. And now it seems that those two stories might intersect in a most interesting way, as former colts head coach Tony Dungy has suggested that Manning’s neck issues could be traced back to an injury sustained while facing a Williams-coached Redskins defense in 2006. And if that’s the case, Williams’ little bounty program will have made a far bigger impact across the league than anyone could have imagined.
On the play in question [VIDEO HERE and below], Manning was hit by Redskins defenders Andre Carter and Phillip Daniels in a high-low combo, with Daniels holding on to Peyton’s helmet all the way to the ground, thus twisting the QB’s neck and body into an extremely awkward position. Manning’s helmet eventually popped right off of his head, and he immediately showed signs of being injured, shaking his right arm ”as if trying to get the feeling back in it.” The Colts called a timeout and Manning was able to return on the next play without any immediate ill-effects, but many believe that this was the beginning of the nerve damage that led to four neck surgeries and his current free agent status.
“The guy wouldn’t let go of my head,” Manning said after the game of Daniels, who was fined $5,000 by the NFL for the hit. “I looked at my helmet to see if my head was in it.”
VIDEO OF MANNING’S INJURY AFTER THE JUMP
6
Mar
2012
Remember the 1989 “Bounty Bowl”? It seems things haven’t changed all that much in the NFL (VIDEO)
Mike Golic might have a unique perspective on all this bounty talk
Here’s a fun little trip down memory lane! Back in 1989, the Buddy Ryan-led Philadelphia Eagles played their rival Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, in a nationally televised game that would forever come to be known as the “Bounty Bowl“.
In it, Ryan was accused by Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson of placing a $200 bounty on kicker Luis Zendejas, and a $500 bounty on quarterback Troy Aikman. On the Cowboys’ only kickoff of the game, which Philadelphia won 27-0, Eagles linebacker Jesse Small sprinted straight at Zendejas (who had previously played for Ryan and the Eagles) in an obvious attempt to take him out. Zendejas dove to avoid the hit, but took a knee to the head resulting in a concussion, and setting off a firestorm of controversy.
Despite Johnson’s attempts to challenge Ryan to a fight in an alley, it was all fun and games in the media as Johnson made fun of Ryan’s “big, fat rear end”, who in turn deflected the controversy by making light of his own weight. Ryan also claimed that Zendejas was the one trying to injure Smalls, and wondered aloud “Why would we want to knock out that kicker? He wasn’t making any kicks at the time. We wanted him out there.”
On Monday, Mike Golic – who played for the Eagles in both games - said on ESPN that “there were bounties in that game”. But at the time, commissioner Paul Tagliabue turned the other cheek and exonerated Ryan of any wrongdoing - a claim that Ryan still clings to this day - and pretty much everyone got a big kick out the idea of bounties in football. Two weeks later, the league even promoted the re-match for ratings as “Bounty Bowl II”, which was marketed by CBS with wanted signs and became memorable for the snow/ice balls lobbed onto the field (and at announcers) by the Philadelphia fans.
BOUNTY BOWL VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
2
Mar
2012
Jonathan Vilma put a $10,000 bounty on Brett Favre, and other Gregg Williams-related bounty news
I wonder what the bounty on Larry Johnson was for this game (Photo: one4theotherthumb.com)
Today, the NFL announced that the New Orleans Saints were engaged in a “pay-for-performance” system from 2009-2011, including bounty payments for injuries to opposing players.
According to a league memo, 22 to 27 Saints players participated in the program that was administered by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (now with the St. Louis Rams), and with the knowledge of head coach Sean Payton. Apparently, during their recent championship run, the Saints had specific payments of $1,500 for “knockouts” and $1,000″ for “cart-offs”, with escalating payments for playoff games. Sometimes, the incentives for less violent plays like interceptions or touchdowns, but the bounties occasionally came with specific targets attached to them, like Kurt Warner and Brett Favre.
The other big name at the center of all this is linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who reportedly plunked $10,000 on a table prior to the 2009 NFC Championship game versus the Minnesota Vikings, saying “this goes to the guy who knocks out Brett Favre”.
And while it may not come as a surprise to many in the game that bounties like this still exist, this is going to be an absolute nightmare for the Saints, and particularly Williams, who reportedly ran a similar bounty program during his time the Redskins defensive coordinator, from 2004-2007. For his part, Williams issued a lame apology, that rings wildly hollow when you realize that Williams has been guilty of this practice for no less than seven years, and probably with every team he’s coache with in the league:
“I want to express my sincere regret and apology to the NFL, Mr. Benson, and the New Orleans Saints fans for my participation in the ‘pay for performance’ program while I was with the Saints,” Williams said. “It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it. Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. I take full responsibility for my role. I am truly sorry. I have learned a hard lesson and I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again.”
Yeah, good luck with that Gregg. It’s no secret around the league that Williams has had some questionable coaching tactics, and with the league’s increasing effort to decrease injuries in the game, this whole bounty thing isn’t exactly the look Roger Goodell was going for. Knowing Goodell, the hammer is going to come down on both the Saints and Williams, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see Williams suspended for a long time – if not banned from the game for life – to make an example out of him.
One thing’s for sure: this is an unqualified bombshell, on par with the Patriots’ Spygate, and could quickly turn into the story of the NFL’s off-season. Williams has been a coach in the league with no less than six teams over the last twenty years, so look for even more tales of similar pay-for-performance programs to emerge, indicting even more of the NFL’s Boba Fetts.
13
Dec
2011
James Harrison suspended one game for hit on Colt McCoy
(Photo: ESPN.com)
In an unprecedented disciplinary move, the NFL has suspended Steelers’ LB James Harrison for one game following his helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns QB Colt Mcoy last Thursday (VIDEO HERE). It was Harrison’s fifth illegal hit against a QB in the past three seasons, which qualifies Harrison as a “repeat offender” and therefore made him subject to suspension.
From the league’s official statement:
Harrison was penalized for roughing the passer in last Thursday night’s Steelers-Browns game for an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit against a defenseless quarterback, Cleveland’s COLT MC COY. In addition to four fines for illegal hits against quarterbacks in 2009 and 2010, Harrison also was fined twice for unnecessary roughness during that period. Harrison totaled six fines in that two-year period.
The 2011 League Policies for Players manual states: “Players who were fined for violations in 2009 or 2010, and whose fines were either partially or fully upheld, will be considered second and/or repeat offenders under this policy.”
Prior to now, the league had only levied fined against players for such behavior, but Harrison has been the poster child for the league’s new policy against helmet-to-helmet hits for years now. Despite the fact that Harrison plans to appeal, there really is no defense for the way he lowered the crown of his helmet directly into McCoy’s facemask the way he did on this play. Roger Goodell had finally seen enough, and decided to drop the hammer.
Whether or not you agree with the legue’s crackdown on vicious hits, this is the NFL today … like it or not. And after years of fines and warnings, it’s clear that Harrison still just doesn’t get it. Maybe missing some actual game time will get through to him.
BONUS GIF OF THE HIT AFTER THE JUMP
2
Nov
2011
Ndamukong Suh speaks with Roger Goodell to clarify rules against his awesomeness
Suh was fined $20k for this hit on Andy Dalton during the preseason (Photo: BleacherReport.com)
Detroit Lions’ DT Ndamukong Suh sat down with commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday in New York, to help gain a better understanding of the NFL’s rules as it relates to Suh’s particularly physical style of play. Suh initiated the meeting himself, having been flagged for three personal fouls already this season, and fined three times (for a total of $42,000) for over-zealous hits since entering the league in 2009. As a result, Suh has started to gain a reputation as a dirty player, and was looking for some clarity during Detroit’s bye week as to exactly what he’s doing wrong.
This preseason, Suh hypothesized that he “put refs in a tough situation because of his strength” … in other words, he’s just too much of a beast for the pro game, and referees have no choice but to throw a flag when faced with his awesomeness. And there’s probably a bit of truth to that statement, since it often seems as though Suh simply overpowers opposing lineman on his way into the backfield and destroys anything that gets in his path. So, Suh understandably wanted to know if the issue can really be fixed by adjusting his technique, or if it’s an unavoidable result of the way he plays the game.
8
Oct
2011
Chris Kluwe Mocking Commissioner Goodell via Dry Erase Board Again (PIC)
Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has made himself semi-famous in the past year by posting various diagrams and notes mocking commissioner Roger Goodell to his Twitter account, all written on dry erase boards. Some of his best work has come in the form of fake memos from “Rog” on last year’s crackdown on illegal hits and this year’s attempt to curb flopping in the game.
Today, at least according Kluwe’s latest whiteboard bomb, the league issued a memo to players banning the use of iPads 90 minutes prior to gametime, for any reason. As you may have heard, a lot of teams are using iPads as playbooks and game film tools in today’s Jobs-ian society (RIP Steve), and the tablets have become ubiquitous in NFL locker rooms.
So, with his Vikings at 0-4 and nothing better to do, Kluwe decided to have a little fun with Goodell again, posting this new fake memo to Twitter, ostensibly from his iPad:
“The front office was kind enough to send us another memo! Whiteboard time!”
(Image via Lockerz.com)
If Kluwe is to believed (we haven’t seen any other news of this memo elsewhere), apparently Goodell is getting twitchy about these iPads being hacked into in order to access an opponent’s gameplan prior to kickoff … or something like that. And whether or not you believe that’s a realistic concern, this is the latest instance of der commissioner trying to control his players’ every move. Kluwe also made a follow-up post, wondering how the league would enforce the new rule, and if they’d install a “mandatory Net Nanny for all NFL employees’ electronic devices”.
This probably isn’t Kluwe’s best stuff (although the Depends crack made us chuckle), but you certainly have to question the timing of the memo from Goodell, especially given this week’s passing of Jobs, and the ensuing cultural firestorm it has created. Unless this is all just a timely satirical social commentary by Kluwe, and there was no real memo to begin with. In which case, Chris is way more clever than we gave him credit for, and we tip our hat to him.
8
Oct
2011
RIP Al Davis, 1929-2011
Raider nation is in mourning today, as the Oakland Raiders’ iconic owner Al Davis has passed away at the age of 82.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released this statement:
“Al Davis’s passion for football and his influence on the game were extraordinary. He defined the Raiders and contributed to pro football at every level. The respect he commanded was evident in the way that people listened carefully every time he spoke. He is a true legend of the game whose impact and legacy will forever be part of the NFL.”
(Image via reddit/r/nfl)
For all of his outlandish behavior and questionable managerial decisions toward the later part of his career, Davis’s impact on the game of football is undeniable. His rebellious persona defined the Raiders organization during his 48 years with the team, and he brought a defiant attitude that helped launch the NFL into the stratosphere. Davis’ “Commitment to Excellence” and “Just Win, Baby” are forever part of our sports lexicon.
Love him or hate him, Al Davis was a force of nature, and there won’t likely be another like him in our lifetime.
Rest in peace, Al.
21
Sep
2011
NFL Threatens Fines, Suspensions & More for Fake Injuries
(Photo: NYDailyNews.com)
Two days after Giants S Deon Grant was caught diving to the turf in an effort to stop the clock and slow the Rams no-huddle offense, the NFL issued a warning that players, coaches & teams caught faking injuries to disrupt the flow of the game could be punished with fines, suspensions and/or loss of draft picks. Although referees are powerless to penalize players suspected of feigning injury during the game itself, the league sent a memo to all 32 teams saying they would be reviewing questionable plays and handing out disciplinary action where appropriate for “conduct detrimental to the game”.
But several players have indicated that feigning injuries has long been a strategic part of the game, and is something that is even coached in certain circles:
“I’ve been places where it has been (taught),” said Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, a member of the players’ union executive committee. “They have a name for it and I’ve been places where it’s been pre-called. I’ve been places where it’s one player who has been designated. Maybe I’m getting everyone in trouble, but I’m just being honest.”
“It’s always been in the game,” Ravens All-Pro safety Ed Reed said. “It’s all tactical stuff you need to use. Whatever it takes. … If you’re tired, you’re tired. You get a break however you can.”
Added 49ers running back Frank Gore: “Hey, I feel if it helps, do it. I’m bound to do it. Whatever it takes to win …”
