Sean Payton Suspended: Saints' Bounty Program Will Ruin NFL Coaching Career

There are certain things that can destroy a coach's reputation.

A bounty program for injuring opponents is one of these things.

On Wednesday, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was suspended for one year for his knowledge of the team's bounty program. The program reportedly paid players for "knock-outs" and "cart-offs" from 2009 to 2011 and was orchestrated by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Under Payton and Williams, the Saints reportedly targeted four quarterbacks in particular: Brett Favre, Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers and Kurt Warner. More than 20 Saints players were reportedly involved during the three-year period.

Payton, who served under Jim Fassel and Bill Parcells before becoming a head coach, was widely respected. He won a Super Bowl with Drew Brees and the Saints in 2010, and he is largely considered one of the better head coaches in the game.

But this changes everything.

Sure, we all know about Bill Belichick's "Spygate" operation with the New England Patriots in 2007. Since then, Belichick still appears widely respected in the league.

But this is entirely different. Spygate was a competitive advantage. Orchestrating a bounty program goes far beyond that to the absurd. Getting $1,500 for knocking a player out or $1,000 for sending him off on a stretcher is vulgar, even in the big and bad NFL. By allowing this to go on, let alone for three years, Payton has painted an entirely different picture. It doesn't help that he won a Super Bowl in the three-year stretch.

Payton has long been respected for his demeanor on and off the field. But how can you respect a man who turned a blind eye to something so disgusting?

Payton wasn't the orchestrator of this disaster, but he sat idly by when the chaos swirled around him. His legacy has been damaged permanently, and the NFL made that rather clear by laying down the hammer on Wednesday.

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