Upholding New Orleans Saints' Suspensions Crucial Step Towards NFL Player Safety

Roger Goodell made the right decision—again. 

He upheld the suspensions of New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and linebackers coach Joe Vitt on Monday and by doing so, he took another crucial step toward NFL player safety. 

Throughout this entire bounty saga, a common rhetoric has emerged stating bounties and incentive-based programs that reward players for big hits, game-changing plays and yes, injuring opponents is a widespread practice in the NFL. 

By initially coming down hard on the Saints organization and maintaining a firm stance on the punishments, all teams are now fully aware of the crushing consequences that will follow if bounties continue. 

I can't stress this enough—I love the violence of the NFL, just like you. The game of professional football means the world to me.

But, I'm not oblivious to the fact that we're dealing with human beings playing a sport for our entertainment.

Remember that.

Purposely attempting to inflict another fellow NFL player with a potentially season-ending or career-destroying injury and then getting paid beyond one's million-dollar contract in doing so, has no place in football.

Period.

The league may be a bit overprotective of their already-spoiled quarterbacks, but trying to alleviate the amount of SportsCenter hits on a defenseless receiver coming over the middle is fine with me, especially if that linebacker's intent was to injure. 

We will all get over the 15-yard penalty called on our safety for his helmet-to-helmet spear on the wideout looking to come down with a 20-yard pass down the sideline. 

That receiver may not. 

Bounties can't continue. They just can't.

By upholding the Saints' suspensions, Goodell is letting everyone know that. 

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