Gregg Williams Should Face Lifetime Ban for New Orleans Saints "Bounty" Scandal

Throw him out of the league!

Seriously.

I think NFL commissioner Roger Goodell should make a clear and concise statement by banning Gregg Williams for life. There should be no place in the NFL for those who go out and intentionally hurt players—especially for coaches like Williams who use monetary awards to encourage reckless behavior.

I'm not the only person who believes this is the right course of action. Gary Myers, who writes for the Daily News, echoed my sentiments exactly.

The NFL should take this seriously and expand their investigation to include all clubs to see how prevalent "bounty" programs have been in the league. The NFL is a copycat league and it is quite possible this has gone on in other places.

It has already been reported that Williams ran similar "bounty" programs while coaching with the Washington Redskins and the Buffalo Bills.

The real question that needs to be asked is, how could something like this be allowed to take place for as long as it did? And if so, how many people were aware of it and turned the other cheek? It has been reported that the Saints' bounty program targeted stars such as Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, and Brett Favre.

Do NFL players really need an extra $1,000 for a "cart-off" and $1,500 per knockout when some are making six figures and most are making much, much, more? What would old-timers like Ray Nitschke, Dick Butkus and Chuck Bednarik think of a program such as that?

I'm sure Bednarik would have an interesting take on the whole "bounty" controversy. Perhaps "bounty" programs have been around since those days.

It really comes down to Goodell making a statement and banning those who are directly responsible for the sponsorship of these programs. I believe Williams is culpable, but I also think Sean Payton, GM Mickey Loomis and owner Tom Benson should face penalties as well.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Williams and the Saints. It will also be interesting to see how deep this "bounty" program cuts into the fabric of the NFL.