Saints Bounty Punishment: Players Could Be Facing Criminal Charges

The players involved in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal have more to worry about than what Roger Goodell might do to punish them.

They could be facing criminal charges.

According to the Associated Press via nola.com, the NFLPA has hired outside counsel and is advising the players involved to make sure that a lawyer and union representative are both present when they're being interviewed by NFL investigators.

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The NFL Players Association has told players involved in the New Orleans Saints' bounty case there's a chance they could face criminal charges and it has hired outside counsel.

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This is kind of like the time that you stole your father's car for a joyride and got into an accident. Not only did you get reamed by your dad when you got home, but then the cops got involved after finding out that a minor crashed the car while driving without a license. 

The players involved—none of which we know save for Jonathan Vilma—are going to get much more than they bargained for by the time this whole mess is finally cleaned up.

Whatever ends up happening to these players, I can guarantee you that no team is going to be willing to ever try to pull a stunt like the one Gregg Williams and the Saints pulled with their bounty system.

Bleacher Report's NFL Associate Editor Michael Schottey made a good point about this on his Twitter account:

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I've always said that bountygate was ripe for both civil and legal action. Williams could be penniless when this is over

— Michael Schottey (@Schottey) April 2, 2012"

Not only Williams, but some of the players may be facing some tough times ahead as well.

If this does get dragged into the courts on civil and legal grounds, don't expect the story to go away anytime soon.

We could be talking about the repercussions of this scandal for years to come.

Follow @JesseReed78