New Orleans Saints Bounty System

The Bounty System

The desire to win for an individual is of grave importance.  Especially, if this individual is a pro athlete.  Unfortunately, it is quite common nowadays to hear about pro athletes getting caught taking sport enhancement drugs, in order to increase their chances of winning.  Even the most unlikely of athletes are being caught; the ones that have been role models for the youth.  It is true, that pro athletes are steadily going to more extreme measures, just to win.  However, coaches of these professional athletes are also doing the same.  These coaches are performing unethical acts in unambiguous ways, in hopes of not getting caught.  Fortunately, some have been caught and publicly shamed.  In the case of the New Orleans Saints Football team, their coach (Sean Payton) has been caught in the act of a “crush-for-cash” bounty system (ESPN, 2012).  Further investigation into this system reveals the true danger that this unethical system put on all players in the NFL.

The New Orleans Saints had been at the bottom of the league for many, many years (Samuel, 2013).  The fans were so embarrassed of their team’s performance, that they would in fact wear paper bags to home games (ESPN, 2012).  However, this all began to change in the mid 2000’s.  The team began to turn around, acquiring great players, and great coaches (Brady, 2013).  One of these coaches was Sean Payton.  He has been praised for his coaching ability, and his treatment towards players (Brady, 2013).  Many believe that he was an integral piece in the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl in 2010 (Corbett, 2013).  They then went on to have another successful season in 2011, but the end result was not another Super Bowl ring.  However, that was not the big news of that season.  The big news was that coach Sean Payton and staff had been allowing the pooling of large amounts of cash to be handed out to defensive players that took out specific players of opposing teams (Holder, 2013).  This news rocked the NFL world.

As reported, the “crush-for-cash” system worked in a simplistic way.  A player would receive $1,500 for a knockout, $1000 for a cart off, and these payments could double or triple in the playoffs (ESPN, 2012).  Another appalling fact about this system is that it was targeted towards star players of the opposing teams (ESPN, 2012).  Some of these players included the talents of Aaron Rodgers, Brett Favre, and even the up and coming quarterback Cam Newton (ESPN, 2012).  Due to the unveiling of this system, the NFL cracked down hard on all members associated with it.  The individuals that were hit the hardest were general manager Mickey Loomis, assistant coach Joe Vitt, and head coach Sean Payton (ESPN, 2012).  Mickey Loomis was suspended for the initial 8 games of the 2012 NFL season (ESPN, 2012).  Some believe that this punishment was not harsh enough, as they believe Mickey obviously knew what was going on with the bounty system imposed.  Although, Mickey does own up to the actions of the team, he does not entirely state that he was integrally involved.  Joe Vitt was suspended for the first six games of the 2012 season (Fox News, 2012).  He was suspended because it was believed that he associated with the bounty system.  Next, Sean Payton received the severest punishment of them all.  He was banned from coaching for the entire 2012 NFL season (Fox News, 2012).  On top of all of these suspensions, the team was also fined 500,000 thousand dollars, and stripped of their second round draft pick in 2013 (Holder, 2013).  All of this happened due to a coach’ desire to win, at any means necessary.

Many would think that Sean Payton would never get hired by another professional football team ever again.  The bounty program that he supported was unfair, unethical, and posed serious risks to the health and safety of professional athletes.  Most fans and players seemed to be absolutely disgusted that such a program even existed (ESPN, 2012).  However, fast forward a year later, and Sean Payton’s suspension has been served.  Almost simultaneously, he was given his job as head coach of the New Orleans Saints back to him (ESPN, 2012).  Sean Payton has been quoted for saying that he has learned from his mistakes, and his previous unethical behaviours are not acceptable (Corbett, 2013).  He has also taken full accountability of the situation and blames no one.  He has demonstrated (to most) that he is once again ready to gain back the respect of the League (Corbett, 2013).  However, every step he now makes will be under a microscope.  Only the 2013 NFL season will reveal whether or not Sean can recapture the magic that won his team the Super Bowl in 2010.

To conclude, I believe that Sean Payton has learned from his mistakes.  As stated above, he has taken one hundred percent of the responsibility for the bounty system.  He also served his suspension with little to no despair.  These actions alone show that he is ready to leave his past behind him, and move forward towards the 2013 NFL season.

References

Brady E.  (2013, September 4).  The Payton Saint of New Orleans returns.  USA Today.  Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/saints/2013/09/04/sean-payton-returns-from-suspension-high-expectations-new-orleans/2761281

Corbett J.  (2013, August 18).  Sean Payton Marches on With New Outlook.  USA Today.  Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/saints/2013/08/18/saints-sean-payton/2669429/

ESPN.  (2012, March 22).  NFL Hammers Saints for Bounties.  ESPN.  Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7718136/sean-payton-new-orleans-saints-banned-one-year-bounties

Fox News.  (2012, March 21).  Saints coach Sean Payton suspended for 2012 season by NFL.  Fox News.  Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/03/21/saints-coach-sean-payton-suspended-for-2012-season-by-nfl/

Holder L.  (2013, August 30).  New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal timeline as Sean Payton prepares for return.  NOLA.  Retrieved from http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2013/08/new_orleans_saints_bounty_scan_2.html

Samuel E.  (2013, January 22).  New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton reinstated by NFL after season-long BountyGate suspension.  NYdailynews.  Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/saints-payton-reinstated-nfl-year-long-ban-article-1.1244854

Handling Roberto Luongo

Handling Roberto Luongo

     The ongoing battle for goaltender supremacy in Vancouver has finally come to an end.  However, the end result was a shock to everyone.  It was thought that the Vancouver Canucks would somehow get rid of their aging goaltender, Roberto Luongo.  Unfortunately, his contract, having nine years remaining with an annual salary-cap charge of $5.33 million was simply too pricy for any other team (NHL.com, 2013).  The Canucks could barely afford him, and no other team in the NHL seemed to be able to afford him either.  Due to this, the management had no choice but to trade their up and coming goaltender, Cory Schneider.  Cory boasted an incredible record of 17-9-4 with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage during the regular season (NHL.com, 2013).  The Vancouver management made it clear that they would have preferred to keep Cory, but the situation of Luongo’s contract was simply too hefty (Rosen, 2013).  Therefore, Cory was traded in exchange for a 1^st round draft pick from the New Jersey Devils (NHL.com, 2013).  However, now the Canucks are relying on a goalie that they have publicly humiliated and pushed to the side (Rosen, 2013).  Is it reasonable to expect Roberto Luongo to perform to his highest capabilities night after night?  Or has the relationship with him and all Vancouver Canucks stakeholders been damaged beyond repair?  Further investigation tries to determine if the management of the Canucks simply made a business decision for the better of the organization, or if the process of the decision making made was unfair and unethical towards Roberto Luongo.

     It can be argued that the NHL (or any other professional league) is purely a business, and the players are simply the strategic pieces.  From this perspective, there is no regard for the players’ feelings or families.  The management does what they think is in the best interest of their club, at the cost of their player’s well-being (Woodley, 2013).  However, is there a line that can be crossed?  Some believe that this line was in fact crossed in Vancouver (Rosen, 2013).  The history behind the situation was that Roberto Luongo was gradually replaced throughout the 2012-2013 hockey season, by up and coming goaltender Cory Schneider.  Nothing seems unethical about this process so far, except for the fact that throughout it, Roberto was ridiculed by fans and management (NHL.com, 2013).  The hostility towards Luongo was too much for him to handle, so he began requesting for a trade (Rosen, 2013).  However, due to his overpaid contract, no team could afford him.  Therefore, as the season ended, the Canucks were still stuck with two great goaltenders, and one had to go.  To the dismay of most, Cory Schneider was the goalie that was traded.  Now, the Vancouver Canucks are once again relying on the goalie that they mocked and disregarded.

    From Luongo’s view, many may wonder if he will have the same desire to win for the Vancouver Canucks.  After facing so much controversy, why would someone ever want to represent such a team again?  Management insists that they have rekindled the relationship with Luongo and that he will be ready to play come puck drop (Woodley, 2013).  In their defense, hockey is a business, and they play to win.  Management claims that they have the utmost belief and faith in Luongo (Woodley, 2013).  To prove this, they constantly bring up past facts such as that Luongo was the goalie in net when the Canadian Olympic hockey team won gold in the 2010 Olympics (Woodley, 2013).  But, does Luongo have the same faith in himself, and in his team?  The reassurance that everyone still believes in him is tough, as the belief in him a few months ago was minimal.

     The last season of hockey has been a whirlwind of emotions for Roberto Luongo.  No doubt, he will have to physically and mentally prepare himself in the off season for a highly anticipated return to the net of the Canucks in their home opener.  Every fan across the nation will be watching his every move, just to see if he truly does believe he is still the Canucks number one goaltender.  If he isn’t able to return to his previous form, then who is to blame?  Is it fair to blame management for making a hockey decision (negatively effecting Luongo), or is it fair to blame Luongo because he should know that the NHL is strictly a business?  Either way, the blame will most likely fall on Luongo, if he indeed underachieves this season.  To conclude, the way the Vancouver Canucks management handled the goalie fiasco in Vancouver was a nightmare.  There was little to no respect for either goalie, and to now expect Luongo to fully commit to the Vancouver Canucks again is going to be tough.  Hopefully, the Vancouver Canucks organization can learn from this experience and treat their players in the future with the utmost respect.  All in all, the decision made by management was a strategic one, but the process of handling the players within the transaction was poorly conducted, and could be viewed by some as unethical.

References

NHL.com. (2013, June 29).  Canucks: Teams have inquired about Cory Schneider.  NHL.com.  Retrieved from http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=675736#&navid=nhl-search

 Rosen D.  (2013, June 30).  Canucks part with Schneider, turn to Luongo.  NHL.com.  Retrieved from http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=675856#&navid=nhl-search

 Rosen D.  (2013, July 1).  Questions linger in wake of Schneider-to-Devils deal.  NHL.com.  Retrieved from http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=676053#&navid=nhl-search

 Woodley K.  (2013, July 24).  Canucks GM says Luongo 'working his way through'.  NHL.com.  Retrieved from http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=678815#&navid=nhl-search