Sean Payton Speaks out on Saints' Bounty, Mickey Loomis Wiretapping and More

Exiled New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, who has stayed out of the spotlight since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell upheld his one-year suspension for his role in the team's bounty scandal, finally spoke out about all the issues surrounding the franchise.

Brad Gagnon of SportsRadioInterviews.com passed along comments from Payton. He spoke with Fox Sports Radio after playing in a Pro-Am on Wednesday to discuss everything from bounty punishment to the more recent allegations of general manager Mickey Loomis wiretapping opposing coaches.

Payton said he's been waiting to hear the suspensions Saints players will face for the bounty scandal, but doesn't believe it will have a major impact on the locker room. He thinks the team has faced enough adversity to jump over these latest hurdles without missing a beat.

The most interesting thing about the entire interview is how candid Payton was in his responses. A lot of coaches would hold back if they were in the same situation fearing further punishment if they said the wrong thing, but he was direct the entire time.

His fiercest comments came about the Loomis scandal. He didn't like how the report was handled and thinks the media was sent to New Orleans to dig up more dirt about the organization.

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I just know the nature of how this report began, and I know it began with a guy—well, he starts down here with a phone list and there’s phone calls. It doesn’t start with a lead. It starts with, ‘Hey, head to New Orleans and see what you can find out on any story.’

And so, just hearing it from afar, I think it’s garbage, and I think the longer and the more information we get—and I know Mickey well enough that he’ll want all the facts to come out—I think it’s…the thing that I’m most interested to see is what kinda things happen after something like that’s reported that’s not true.

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Payton went on to praise Loomis' leadership, which he believes played a crucial role in the franchise's tremendous turnaround after Hurricane Katrina. Like Payton, Loomis was suspended for his role in the bounty scandal, with his ban lasting eight games.

The organization's ability to stick together through not only one, but two serious scandals, in the same offseason, has been impressive. The reported actions were morally wrong and would have caused some teams' internal power structure to collapse, but the Saints have remained supportive throughout.

Payton said that's a testament to building the franchise around character. Now, questions will be rightfully raised about the lack of character involved with allowing a bounty scandal to continue on their watch, but nobody can deny the team's unmatched ability to stick together through turmoil.

Ultimately, the coach said he doesn't think his suspension or the others handed down eliminate the Saints from Super Bowl contention. He believes his players will view the entire ordeal as a challenge and step up to it.

As for what he'll do during his year away from the game, Payton said he's going to take care of family priorities first and let everything else fall into place. He didn't completely rule out a TV run.