Comments on: Report: Goodell won’t meet with Payton before Super Bowl

By: pinion8ted

pinion8ted — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:37:51 +0000

So tell me again what Gregg Williams pleaded “guilty” to, if there was no bounty program?

By: turfrage

turfrage — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:36:52 +0000

Payton doesn’t need to be at the Senior Bowl!! That’s a stupid excuse for early reinstatement. That’s what he has an entire player personnel/scouting department for!!!!! He ain’t God, the only one who can evaluate players. Arrogance.

By: jpspear

jpspear — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:26:49 +0000

The judge assigned to the case? Seriously? You mean the lawyer Goodell hired? The one that said that Hargrove’s statement proved the extend of the program and his involvement with it only to have to back off on that when the statement didn’t come close to doing either? That’s funny. The only judge involved was the one that got Vilma’s defamation lawsuit and she said she was very disturbed at how flimsy the NFL’s case was. Tags cleared Fujita and said the penalties were excessive. Something happened. Pay-for-performance happened. Pay-for-injury didn’t. If you have proof, let’s see it because the NFL doesn’t seem to have any.

By: phillyfanmatt

phillyfanmatt — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 23:30:14 +0000

How soon everyone forgets the the Judge assigned to the case said in her ruling that Pay for Performance is equal to a Bounty. That’s right no one wants to mention that. And also Tags cleared the players if their penalty not of the crime. He still said the organization had this program in place. So he said the punishments to the players was to harsh not the organization. Call it what you want but it still happened.

By: Dave61548

Dave61548 — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 22:56:38 +0000

I sure hope the stupidity and ignorance shown by fans posting on this site is not representative of the general population, otherwise the USA has no chance at being anything other than a third world country. It continually amazes me how some baseless allegations, discredited evidence and total lack of evidence (we’re still waiting for someone to show the list of injured players) could convince so many that these make believe events actually happened.

By: mazblast

mazblast — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 22:17:00 +0000

nirvana504 says:

I CAN’T WAIT til Goodell comes to town. We got something for him…
————————————
“This be The Big Easy, Mr. Goodell. In yo’ case, easy fo’ sometin’ to go wrong. Have a nice stay, as in stay ‘way from any windows, streets, an’ restaurants. An’ don’ go nowheah alone.”
———————————–
xxwhodatxx says:

All I can say is he better not be seen walking around New Orleans while he’s in town for the SB. It would probably be a bad idea to eat at any restaurants also. Actually, he should just stay away to avoid any retaliation.
—————————————
Well, he has to show up, it’s part of the commissioner’s job to give the Lombardi Trophy to the winning team and wear a smile, even if it’s fake because the winner isn’t the Pats or Giants. He kind of has to do it, plus, he probably thinks he’s showing how “tough” he is by doing it.

Your restaurant idea has merit, though. He should do like so many rotten foreign dictators do when they come to the UN, bring his own kitchen staff. They do it out of fear of the evil Americans, he should do it because of what he did to the Saints’ season. Even if you’re used to the life of privilege, being The Great Roger Goodell Himself Live And In Person, you’re subject to a little street justice in your meal–nothing fatal, nothing permanent, maybe just enough to give you an overwhelming case of the trots on Super Bowl Sunday.

By: thetooloftools

thetooloftools — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 21:57:49 +0000

I have never seen a commish just trash an entire team like the way Godell just hammered the Saints. I agree with fines and penalties, but to just rip an entire team up is just wrong headed.
I’m no Saints fan, but he went way over board.

By: jpspear

jpspear — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 21:33:30 +0000

Sorry, vikingswhatever, you lost because of 5 turnovers, 12 players in the huddle, and Favre being Favre. But if this makes you feel better, go with it.

By: endzone

endzone — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 21:27:50 +0000

Saints Guilty. Saints Not Guilty. Who cares anymore except them. But, Good Ole’ Rog had an opportunity here to appear more accomodating and less like a Great Big Log. Is anyone surprised he chose stubborn “logishness” over flexibility? I imagine his brain as a bunch of little wooden cubes stacked perfectly within his thick skull. I bet the kids at the Senior Bowl would love for Sean Peyton to be there. If the Commish is really all about the future of the NFL, this is a No-Brainer. If Goodell wasn’t handicapped by wood-for-brains, he’d vacate Coach Peyton’s sentence to time already served.

By: vikingshavefoursuperbowlappearancesandarethebest

vikingshavefoursuperbowlappearancesandarethebest — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 21:05:06 +0000

The Vikings would never stoop so low. We have a classy franchise. We would of won a SB if the Saints didnt cheat.

By: melikefootball

melikefootball — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 21:00:06 +0000

To bad Godel did not finish what he started with the cheaters of the South.

By: jpspear

jpspear — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:44:06 +0000

Goodell’s allegations were true? Fujita was totally exonerated. The video Goodell claimed showed Hargrove demanding a payment did not. Hargrove’s “confession” about his role in the bounty showed nothing of the sort. No evidence of any payoff for an injury was ever shown. The Saints had a pay-for-performance and lied about it. Hardly enough reason to levy what Goodell levied. Look at the evidence and not the accusations. Look at what the original allegations were and what was actually shown.

By: cwwgk

cwwgk — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:31:43 +0000

Payton admittedly lied to the league and to Goodell. What good is a man if you can’t trust his word?

The dust has settled. Goodell’s allegations were true. Payton was the head coach of a team that participated in an “unprecedented” cover up and got caught. Yet, the commissioner is the bad guy?

Please.

By: larryjames836

larryjames836 — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:30:10 +0000

It’s not going to a Super Bowl where Roger Goodell thank he going to party at in New Orleans, Louisiana, know he not Roger Goodell going to get a unwanted sign in the Big Easy. I’m hoping they protext the day of the Super Bowl which that is they City, let see how Roger Goodell handle that and the NFL and the owners. They the ones make the calls you make have little to say over the organization but you have nothing to do with the city.

By: packman331

packman331 — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:26:02 +0000

For those of you touting St Payton and St Bree’s and believe they are all for you, what do they have in common?

When the fans and organization were most vulnerable, Brees insisted on being the highest paid player in the game rather than lead the team in OTAs. 19m was not enough. Why? Because he leveraged the organization when they were most in need

Payton should have signed the original contract offer. But when his reckless behavior and lying damaged the franchise for a year, how does he respond? More money from the very Saints that he set back a year

During the time they were needed the most, they leveraged dat.

By: hor2012

hor2012 — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:24:23 +0000

This as gone from being funny when the story firs broke. To me being angry as a Saints fan for the fact RG ruin our year. I then began angry at other fans who’s opinio was solely based on what they heard in the news. And, by the way I’ll say this again for all of you too stupid or just that pig headed. No Saints coach, and that includes GW every admitted that the Saints took the field with the goal of hurting anyone, infact; GW denied it. I even went through a period where I considered the real possiblity that the Saints we guilty of trying to hurt players. But, in all of this, I never considered the possiblity that this is just something personal that RG has against the Saints. But, now I’m really starting to wonder. Please know this PT had no reason to vacate those suspension if there was the overwhealming proof that RG said the league had. If the league was right in this they would have fought those players to the gates of hell and back of need be to validate thier position. PT did the only thing he could have done. He corrected a wrong while saving face for the league with his ruling. Now, to get the league beyond this the only thing left to do is reinstate SP. And, whodat fans the fact the he hasn’t done that scares me. I wonder if RG will force SP to admitt, by saying the actual words, The Saints had a bounty program in place, before he let’s him back. RG is pissed off because he was made to look stupid by that ruling and if he feels that the only way he can save face is by forcing the actual words, “We had a bounty programn in place”, to be uttered. Then there’s a real chance that he may not let SP come back next year either.

By: jpspear

jpspear — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:21:18 +0000

Here’s a question: What was the most damning, rock-solid piece of the 50,000 pages of evidence? Go ahead, we’ll wait. How many payoffs for injuries did they show? Zero. How many injuries did they show the “bounty” caused? Zero. How many times did Favre and Warner complain about how the Saints played in those playoff games? Zero. How many people that were not disgruntled ex-employees testified about having a bounty program. Zero. Saints 2009 rank of personal fouls: 3rd fewest in the NFL. Fujita was totally exonerated and Tags said the penalties were way out of line with what Goodell tried to impose. On a semi-related topic, what ever became of the horrible wiretapping scandal? Zero. When did Williams talk about any payoffs during his rant? He never did. When did Payton confess to a pay-for injury program? He never did. Finally, why would a player risk a $25,000 fine for a dirty hit to collect a $500-$1000 bounty? I understand you don’t like the Saints, but don’t embarrass yourself without knowing the facts.

By: csilojohnson

csilojohnson — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:19:17 +0000

Your an idiot Bob.

By: chattanola

chattanola — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:13:18 +0000

Er…roughly 10 months.

By: packman331

packman331 — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:13:15 +0000

The punishment was for a year. He appealed and was allowed to participate in prefer draft activities last year. Whether saints fans agree or not he and the organization were found guilty. They accepted responsibility didn’t they?? The penalty was as much about deceit as it was the act.

As was stated a year is 365 days. He was not suspended for the season. He was suspended for a year and the year is not up yet. Simple enough.

By: chattanola

chattanola — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:09:40 +0000

Those who are insisting on a 365 calendar “year” suspension are over-looking the fact that Goodell himself proclaimed that the suspension would run until after the superbowl on Feb 3–that’s roughly 11 months.

By: skarfacci

skarfacci — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 20:07:38 +0000

Goodell is an arrogant, elitist charlatan who thinks he is above the law. I’m glad all his rulings were overturned.

By: BeachBum46

BeachBum46 — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:48:52 +0000

One year = 365 days

By: chattanola

chattanola — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:45:38 +0000

At every turn throughout this bounty mess, Goodell has had many opportunities to to temper what many have called draconian punishments. Most reasonable people believe that the penalties, while deserved, were too harsh.

Allowing Payton to resume his position now instead of after the Superbowl is Goodell’s one last opportunity to demonstrate that he is a seriou yet reasonable man and that the one season suspension has served it’s purpose.

But, no. Goodell is showing us exactly what kind of man he is: uncompromising and authoritarian to the point of tyrannical and cruel.

By: gtodriver

gtodriver — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:45:27 +0000

lightcleric says:

Were you one of those people who told Vilma et. al to just take their punishment lying down, too?
_________________________________

Vilma was never cleared of anything.

Tags clearly stated that the players participated in a bounty program – but decided against suspensions because the coaches organized it.

So Vilma – and his lying cohorst – committed perjury. I wish they’d be prosecuted for it – at least then they’d get the punishment they deserve.

By: Deb

Deb — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:44:22 +0000

Although I think the Saints players were shafted, I supported Payton’s suspension because he knowingly took money to fund his, um, “incentive program” from an outside bagman. That skirted the salary cap–which was a definite no no. Nevertheless, it was ridiculous for the NFLPA to give Goodell sole discretion to play judge, jury, and executioner.

He can shut down the players and coaches, but he has no jurisdiction over the fans. Since the venue happens to be New Orleans, it would be interesting to see anti-Goodell protests outside the Super Bowl.

By: broncosaddict

broncosaddict — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:40:29 +0000

Makes sense to me. Suspension was for one year not 16 games.
Just because they were eliminated does not make it the end of a season. Other teams are still playing.
If you want to go down the road of the saints season being over as the benchmark, then why not say he should have been allowed back after the week 16 game when they were eliminated from the playoffs.

I dont know whether anyone did anything wrong or not and at this point I dont care. This has dragged on so long, I’m just tired of hearing all the bitchin going on from both sides.

By: nananatman

nananatman — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:38:31 +0000

Cause he is a liar liar pants on fire.

By: the1bigbird

the1bigbird — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:38:10 +0000

The 1st rule of condemnation is ” don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time”. This is what Paidton agreed to with R.G.
He wants it, he gets it.
Paidton commited conspiracy to willfully injure other players with the help and cash of a convicted felon then lied about it.

Face it, the time is not up. It is another few nights in the box.

By: mrlaloosh

mrlaloosh — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:30:10 +0000

I was all behind Goodell in the beginning. The new head coach at Tulane , CJ Johnson, was the Saints receivers coach for a few years.
When Tulane’s Devon Walker suffered a life treating injury in a game the whole team was and is in shock and pain.
Coach Johnson asked the NFL to let Sean Payton come talk to his team to help with the healing.
Roger Goodell said “NO”! This man is a less than human piece of garbage.