NFLPA Will Launch Own Probe Into New Orleans Saints Bounty Program

The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) plans to launch its own investigation into claims that the New Orleans Stains were using a bounty system that paid their players for injury opponents.

On Wednesday executives at the NFLPA released the following statement regarding the bounty issue:

“If the facts prove that players voluntarily and willingly participated in conduct that jeopardized health and safety, we will work with them and the league to put in place additional safeguards to prevent this in the future,” the statement said. “Dangerous play and acts on the field by players intended to injure have no place in football. We must do better to ensure that this activity is not a part of our game.”

The probe comes after former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams admitted this week that he had enacted such a program while working for the Saints. The bounty pool according to Williams amounted to $50,000 over the last three seasons.

The league is investigating whether Williams ran similar programs during his time with the Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills.

In a joint statement Saints head coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis acknowledged the issue:

“We acknowledge that the violations disclosed by the NFL during their investigation of our club happened under our watch. We take full responsibility.”

The NFLPA has worked hard to protect the safety of its players, often leading to new rules that fans claim have dulled the game.

Under the bounty “knockouts” paid $1,500 while “cart-offs” paid out $1,000. In the playoffs those payouts would easily double and in same cases triple.

Do you think teams should be punished for bounty programs or does the NFL need an injection of aggression to keep games interesting?