Mickey Loomis: Joe Vitt's Denial Makes New Orleans Saints Look Worse

Bountygate was bad enough. The New Orleans Saints tried to appeal after the whole country knew they were guilty.

Now, ESPN's Outside the Lines has reported that general manager Mickey Loomis used an electronic device to tap into what opposing coaches were saying on the sidelines from 2002 to 2004. 

And, predictably, assistant coach Joe Vitt—already suspended six games for Bountygate—has come to Loomis' aid.

Vitt said on Tuesday, via KATC.com:

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"I've been with Mickey now for 17 years. I understand what Mickey's core beliefs are. Again, that's one of the reasons I came here. I think we've been to the playoffs eight times together. Anybody that ever wants to question Mickey's integrity on something like this, I mean this is juvenile. This is so bad with what's being reported. It's irresponsible."

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Keep in mind, Vitt wasn't working with Loomis from 2002 to 2004, so he really has no room to criticize the report. Yes, Loomis may be a great, outstanding guy, but Vitt has no idea what happened during that period.

He went on:

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"We're working 12 to 14 hours a day here, so I'm not completely abreast in what's taking place or what's been said. I just know it's not true."

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First of all, Vitt and the entire Saints organization know what they are facing. Why? Because they are squarely in the middle of it.

Second of all, how can you know something's not true if you don't know what's taking place or what's been said?

I'm not going to sit here and call the Saints guilty for Spygate II, because it's in the early goings right now, but all I'm saying is it looks bad. Right before Vitt defended Loomis in the press conference, he said, "At no time did any of our players ever cross the white line with the intention of hurting another player. Now that being said, I'm serving a six-game suspension for the spoken word, not the clinched fist."

Are the Saints seriously still denying Bountygate? Your former defensive coordinator was caught saying, "Kill the head and the body will die," for crying out loud. It's as clear-cut as can be.

I don't mean to switch sports here, but this reminds me of Roger Clemens lying to Congress in 2008, boldly declaring that he never used performance-enhancing drugs. He was extremely defensive during that testimony, dismissing the Mitchell Report as rubbish—and then he got indicted by a grand jury for making false statements to Congress.

The Saints are in damage-control mode right now, hoping that the punishments from Bountygate are the final blow. They've been hit with a lot, but they've deserved every bit of it. It's time for them to face the fact that they were wrong and get back to being a reputable organization.

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