Fierce, brutal hits are different from illegal hits. Hitting hard is part of the game. Can someone provide a list of dirty, illegal hits made by cheating Saints players? Favre got hit hard 'cause he was an old man with reduced mobility and slowed reflexes. There are so many rules protecting the QB; I don't remember any Saints players getting fined for playing dirty. Did the Saints put a bounty on Brett Favre or any other player or did they have what amounted to an office pool that paid out for certain results? I think there is a difference between saying "Here is $1000 for the guy that breaks Adrian Peterson's leg" and than a generic pay out if a hit results in a player being removed from the game. I'm not defending the latter, I'm just suggesting that it is not an unusual practice in the NFL. I agree it should be stopped but the Saints shouldn't be singled out for a league wide practice.
Anthony Hargrove weighs in. Hargrove is one of the central figures because of his hit(s) on Favre. Hargrove:"I was not trying to hurt Favre, and I received no money for the play in question." No big surprise there, but I prefer hearing denials to hearing nothing at all, which for the most part is what we are getting from Saints players possibly involved in this.
Here's an outside source who says -- at least last year -- there were no bounties, though there was some side betting (I'll get a pick before you.) Tracy Porter acknowledges the same thing in the article. Specialist who worked closely with New Orleans Saints said there were no bounties in 2011 - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
Jabari Greer speaks out on the issue, and the muse was upon him: Out of Bounds by Jabari Greer, "Untitled" - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
I thought that was very cool. Not surprising that he, with insight and knowledge, feels this was a media frenzy that took this to the level it went.
Here's an exchange between Sports Illustrated's Peter King and New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma yesterday. @SI_PeterKing: Curtis Lofton, Chris Chamberlain, David Hawthorne. Get the message, Jonathan Vilma? @JonVilma51: RT @SI_PeterKing: Curtis Lofton, Chris Chamberlain, David Hawthorne. Get the message, Jonathan Vilma?"that u know how to type peoples names?? @JonVilma51: @SI_PeterKing reckless journalism is beneath you sir. You've become a glorified blogger @SI_PeterKing: RT @JonVilma51: Reckless journalism is beneath you sir. You've become a glorified blogger ... It's the NFL investigation, Jonathan. Not me. @JonVilma51: RT @SI_PeterKing the nfl investigation has NOTHING to do with ur tweet. You've now turned into a blogger who takes shots at players on twitter @SI_PeterKing not going to go back and forth with you, enjoy your night sir.
http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2012/04/report_former_saints_defensive.html This is nuts. The most damning comments were as follows: "Every single one of your before you get off the pile, affect the head ... early, affect the head, continue (to) touch and hit the head." "We need to decide whether (wide receiver Michael) Cabttree wants to be a (expletive) prima donna or he wants to be a tough guy, we need to find that out. He becomes human when we (expletive) take out that outside ACL (anterior cruciate ligament)." "We need to find out in the first two series of the game, the little wide receiver -- No. 10 (Kyle Williams) -- about his concussion. We need to (expletive) put a lick on him." An edited version of the profanity-laced speech can be heard here: Gregg Williams' Saints Bounty audio.
