The Saints bounty scandal prompted some of the harshest penalties in NFL history, including the first league-imposed suspension of a head coach.
Key Facts
- Bounty program duration
- 2009 season through 2011–12 playoffs
- Saints organization fine
- 500,000 USD
- Draft picks forfeited
- 2nd-round picks in 2012 and 2013
- Sean Payton suspension
- Entire 2012 season
- Gregg Williams suspension
- Indefinite (later overturned)
- Player sanctions
- Overturned by Paul Tagliabue, December 2012
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
From the 2009 NFL season onward, New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams operated an undisclosed slush fund that paid bonuses to defensive players for deliberately injuring or knocking opposing players out of games, in direct violation of NFL rules.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell investigated and confirmed the bounty program in 2012, issuing unprecedented suspensions against head coach Sean Payton for the full season, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams indefinitely, general manager Mickey Loomis for eight games, and four players including linebacker Jonathan Vilma for their roles as alleged ringleaders.
Former commissioner Paul Tagliabue overturned all player suspensions in December 2012, placing primary blame on the coaching staff and organization. The NFLPA disputed the existence of the bounties, and the scandal intensified league-wide scrutiny of player safety practices and prompted debate over the limits of commissioner disciplinary authority.