Law enforcement generally could be interested in the Saints’ multi-year conspiracy to coax NFL players into trying to injure opponents in exchange for cash payments. Apart from whether the arrangement to try to inflict pain and injury on other players violated any state or federal laws, the placement of the payments in the players’ pockets could trigger a separate source of liability.
Regardless of whether the money came from legal or illegal activities, the money received by players represents income. And if income isn’t disclosed to the IRS, that’s a problem.
Go ahead and scoff. That’s surely what the NBA officials who traded first-class airfare for coach and kept the difference and didn’t pay taxes on it believed. Before they were prosecuted for tax evasion.
The NFL already has the evidence. The IRS needs merely to show up with a warrant for the file.
And if so inclined, the IRS can launch an investigation regarding the other 31 teams. While Saints players and other employees opted initially to lie to the NFL, lying to federal authorities has entails slightly greater consequences.
Go ahead and scoff. That’s surely what Martha Stewart did.
Of course, it won’t be a problem if the players declared the income and paid the taxes.