get the bags ready aints fans

Saints players shouldn’t be punished for their bounty program because they didn’t execute the game plan as well as they hoped to? Are you seriously arguing this? Seriously?

Let me get this right, with your argument, a punk wouldn’t be guilty of killing the guy in the green shirt if he was really aiming at the guy in the blue shirt and just missed, right?

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guppies66 says:
Deb, your missing one point. The league likely has evidence (Williams’ testimony) that Vilma not only participated (which your game film idea would determine), but also promoted via offering his own $10k bounty.
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If the league can prove Vilma offered that bounty, I’d put him in the same boat with the coaches.

Over a three year period, NOT ONE SINGLE PLAYER was injured by the Saints Defense as a result of an illegal hit. NOT ONE!

Dude this isn’t Nuremberg its football! Football players are not soldiers. The Saints did not commit anymore penalties or injure anymore players than the rest of the league. There is a disconnect between what was said and what the players did of the field. My view is no punishment is needed for anyone involved including Greg Williams.

I hope some offensive lineman blindsides this punk and knocks him out for the year or for good!!!!
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And then the lineman will be suspended for intent to injure. Hell, then you might be named in the lawsuit vilma files, because you “asked” the lineman to do it. Your wishing injury on a player is no better than what these guys are accused of. Football “fans” like you are a joke.

This entire bountygate garbage is a joke. Goodell is only trying to cover the league’s ass from these lawsuits. When/if the players decide to fight any suspensions, the league will get more trouble than they anticipated.

I agree with you–but you’ve got to have evidence of the crime. The NFL has evidence that Saints coaches organized an illegal program, took outside money that bypassed the salary cap, told players to break the rules by targeting the head, ignored direct orders from their owner and the league, and lied to investigators. They deserved their punishments.

But does Goodell have evidence that players actually attempted to injure other players by performing at a different level than any other players in the league? That’s why I’m saying he has to rely on game film to determine the players’ punishments. No matter what the coaches intended, the league can only punish the players for what they actually did. And only the game film will verify that.

If the soldier in said war-crime never actually committed the crime, is he still on the hook? If he intended, but did commit, would the punishment be as bad?

As a Saints fan, I am sure Vilma and some others were involved, but the reasonable doubt is starting to loom pretty strong, and if Goodell tries to drop the hammer too hard, he’s gonna open a can of worms that could end up way worse for him than the players.

Imagine you are a player suspended. You didn’t do anything wrong, at least there is no proof whatsoever. What keeps you from suing the NFL for lost wages? Would no evidence hold up in court?

But I feel a little differently about the players. I’m not in any way condoning what they did … but they were following their coaches’ orders. It seems game film should play a significant role in their punishment. Did they engage in illegal hits? If so, then fine/suspend them based on the film rather than their coaches’ conspiracy.

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Totally different situation but using the same structure of orders being sent down to prove the point. When they prosecute for war crimes it doesnt matter if a soldier says he was just following orders, he is still a free thinking human being that made the choices to proceed with their actions and should be punished accordingly. Sure the general or whomever sent the orders down probably gets punished more severely but in Vilmas case no one put a gun to his or any of his teammates heads and made them do this. The participated willingly and most likely encouraged it as well.