Well, it's official -- the NFL has levied its sanctions against the New Orleans Saints and they aren't pretty for the organization or for their head coach -- Sean Payton has been suspended without pay for a year; former defensive coordinator Greg Williams, who managed the "bounty" program that paid defensive players for dramatic plays and illegal hits, has been suspended "indefinitely" by the league. His suspension will be reconsidered by the commissioner after the end of the 2012 season. GM Mickey Loomis and assistant coach Joe Vitt will also be suspended, for 8 and 6 games respectively. The Saints were fined $500,000 and lose 2nd round draft picks in 2012 and 2013.
The NFL's full release on the penalties and reasoning behind them shows a team that was simply not lead well by Coach Payton in this particular area. For some reason (youth?) Payton appears to have been afraid or unwilling to confront Williams over the use of bounties and clear violations of league rules, guidelines and even a sense of sportsmanship. While the pressure has been high for the Saints to perform and for Payton to overcome considerable odds with this team in a short period of time, this may be a case of the "means" catching up with the "ends."
As a fan of these Saints, it's particularly troubling to me to see Payton make this mistake -- Loomis, too. They've been lauded as a young football brain-trust, bringing together under-utilized and underrated talent to repeated make it to the playoffs. (Of course, the past two years have seem dramatic let-downs by the defense in those playoff games, which might be why Payton thought it was in his best interest to ignore the bounty program.) The fact that this has gone on for years and that Payton and Loomis seemed tried to avoid taking it seriously and stopping it when they had a chance was indefensible. Just a stupid mistake in hindsight. Maybe some time off to think about it makes sense.
I'm also very troubled by the sense we get that linebacker Jonathan Vilma was a big part of this -- as a leader on the field, he should have been distancing himself as much as possible from the program. Not only is it bad on its face, but think of the men in the locker room who didn't want to play that way, but felt obligated or "lead" into doing something against the rules -- no doubt some of those young men felt the Saints locker room was a bad place to be.
The Saints 2012 season doesn't have to be over here, but there's no doubt that they'll start into a serious headwind. With the sanctions in place, and more bad press to come, free agents and drafted players may be less than interested in coming to the Saints organization as it now stands; not only is the coaching in question, but the overall character of the organization as well.
These Saints built their reputation on a steady work ethic and overcoming odds with the support and love of their vocal fan base in a troubled, rebuilding city. As a silver lining, they do have something else to play for now -- redemption. If the Saints do end up fielding Drew Brees and a veteran squad -- along with leadership from their new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnola and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael -- then anything could happen, including, one might hope, a successful season in spite of the bright lights and persistent questions.
Of course, it could go the other way, too. It'll take leadership to keep this team together now, and I can't say for certain who is there to provide it.
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