First let me start by disclosing that I am a HUGE Saints fan.  I have been for 30 years.  I'm no bandwagon guy.  I was with them during the low years, with them through the Katrina-stricken season, with them when they finally won the Superbowl, and am still with them during these new low times.  So, when I am accused of being biased with my feelings about the "bounty" scandal... know that I already told you I was a fan.  Having said that, I'm going to give you 5 reasons why you shouldn't hate the Saints... and I believe they are valid AND unbiased.  (Well, maybe a bit biased! =)

1.  The Saints are not the only team guilty of having a "bounty" program in place. They are however, the team that got investigated and caught!  I blame much of the negative view on the Saints, concerning this scandal, on the media for using the word "bounty!"  Would you have the same reaction if the headline was, "Saints Guilty of Pay-for-Performance Program"?  I don't think so.  You'd be like, "What?  This is news?"  Here is a fact:  Football is a violent sport played by men with violent tendencies.  Don't kid yourself, these players are always looking for an edge, for extra motivation.  The Saints are not the first team to have an unofficial pay-for-performance program and they most certainly are not the only team currently doing so in the NFL.  The vast majority of these payoffs are for special plays, like an interception, or a defensive touchdown, or a sack of the quarterback.  Has anyone ever been offended because a quarterback got sacked?  I don't think so.  Players in the locker-room telling each other, "I'll give you $500 dollars if you can force Adrien Peterson to fumble the ball." has been part of football culture for a long time.  And let's be clear, the vast majority of these "bounties" were for plays just like that.  Plays that are within the natural flow of the game, plays that are SUPPOSED to happen for any aggressive, ambitious defense.  Defensive players are always trying to hit star players on the other team as hard as they can to knock them out of the game.  It doesn't change because some yahoo says he'll give up some money to see it.  Once again, it's part of the violent nature of football, and if you don't like it... you probably don't watch football.

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2.  Where is the video? Seriously, all this talk about the Saints supposedly going to great lengths to injure opposing players on the field... and not one single play has been shown to prove it.  If there were video of Saints players obviously trying to injure other players, don't you think ESPN would have found it by now?  You have three seasons of plays to choose from, but guess what... it's just not there.  Over the last three seasons, the Saints rank in the middle of the pack among NFL teams for personal fouls.  These are penalties that include late hits, unsportsmanlike conduct, and unnecessary roughness.  The truth is, Saints defensive players have played within the lines IN SPITE of these "bounties."  I challenge anyone to find a single play of the Saints intentionally injuring an opposing player outside of the rules and guidelines of the game.  You won't find it.

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3.  The actual rules violated by the Saints were SALARY CAP rules. Yep, don't mess with the NFL's money or they will drop the hammer.  These "bounties" for making special plays like interceptions and sacks are actually just small bonuses paid to players.  And more than anything, that violates salary cap rules.  Who cares about a few thousand dollars compared to tens of millions?  The NFL does.  If a player has an incentive clause in his contract for making a certain number of sacks during a season, the NFL wants to know about it; because those monies go toward salary caps.  If you give Tracy Porter $500 dollars for making an interception, guess what, you're in violation!  These players make anywhere from $50K to $1 million PER GAME!  Do you think anyone in his right mind is going to risk suspension by assaulting another player for a few hundred or even a few thousand extra dollars?  The Saints have been made an example of by the NFL because the NFL is trying to spin it's own image into an organization that protects it's players.  The NFL has instituted some new rules over the last few years meant to protect players.  The truth is, these changes were long overdue.  The NFL is facing lawsuits by former players alleging neglect by the league to protect players from concussions.  And ever since these lawsuits became public knowledge, the NFL has been espousing "player protection."  It's part of a spin job by the NFL.  Some great rules regarding concussions and protecting players have been put in place, yes.  But the Saints are a sacrificial lamb here in the bounty scandal.  While NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hands out the penalties and preaches player protection, the best case scenario is that the rest of the NFL takes him seriously and stop their own off-the-books pay-for-performance programs.  And do you know how many players that will directly protect?  None!  NFL teams will still try to hit you hard, and knock you out of the game.  The NFL wants to have it's billion dollar business that showcases violent athleticism, and they want to have an image suggesting they are there to protect players.

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4.  Unfortunately, Gregg Williams pre-game speech is routine locker room motivation. Much has been said about the audio leaked to the media that is of former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams giving a pre-game speech.  And this is going to be hard to defend to the casual observer.  You can hear the audio here, but honestly it's not for the faint of heart.  Then again, there is nothing inside an NFL locker room that is for the faint of heart.  Like I said earlier, football is a violent game played by men with violent tendencies.  When you hear a coach say, "go out and kill him" that is typical locker room fodder.  I'm not here to say whether what goes on in an NFL locker room is right or wrong.  It is what it is.  And when players speak to each other in that environment it's for their ears only.  ESPN analyst and former Cowboys player Darren Woodson says of the audio, "95 percent of what Gregg Williams says on the audio is the norm."  And he's right, if it's the first time you're hearing that kind of talk, it may be shocking to you.  But if you're familiar with locker room culture, it's unsurprising and sort of run-of-the-mill.  Fact:  NFL teams go over their opponents injury report before they play each other.  Fact:  players use that knowledge and intentionally hit each other in their injuries.  It's just part of the game, there are no rules against it.  The best thing about this leaked audio is that it brings Gregg Williams to the forefront.  He more than any other person, is responsible for bringing a "bounty" culture to the Saints organization.  He has been suspended indefinitely and is being investigated for the same behavior with other teams he has coached for.

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5.  Before you call Saints players villains, know that they are as involved in community programs as any organization in all of sports. In fact, there may not be another sports organization in the entire world that is as closely associated with the welfare of it's region and involvement with it's community as the New Orleans Saints.  When they won Superbowl XLIV, they were credited with resurrecting a region after it was decimated by hurricane Katrina.  It was the feel-good sports story of the century.  The Saints are still working to restore their region, and this scandal will not stop that in the least.  This scandal has nothing on the setback that Katrina brought the team and it's fans.  New Orleans as a community, and as a fan base has been through a lot.  And as they have done time and again, they will rise above this scandal and continue to bring joy and victories to their fans.

 

Since 2005, since Katrina, since Reggie, since the hiring of GM Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton, since Drew Brees came... the Saints have been steadfast in their efforts to bring in and hire "high-character" guys.  There hasn't been one player drafted or signed through free-agency in that time that has had a history of "character issues."  These men are not guilty of anything illegal, nor anything that is outside of football culture.  But football culture is now changing before us with every ESPN "bounty" scandal report.  These men will take their medicine with the penalties levied by the NFL.  And these men will lead the rest of the NFL into the culture change that this scandal brings to the NFL.   Let there be no irony lost in the fact that the team taking the heat for "bounty" culture in the NFL... has a SAINT for a mascot.

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