Latest Opinions from Around the Web on Saints' Bounty Punishment

The National Football League brought the proverbial hammer down on the players involved in the New Orleans Saints "player bounty" scandal Wednesday, suspending four players for a total of 31 games, including a season-long ban for linebacker Jonathan Vilma.

Reaction to these punishments was as swift and severe as the punishments themselves. From the players who were sent to their rooms without supper to national scribes and local beat writers, here's a look at the fallout from the latest chapter of "bountygate."

Why does every scandal have to be named "Whatever-gate" anyway? Watergate was 40 years ago. You'd think we could have come up with something else by now.

Suspended Players Fight Back

At least two of the players who were penalized by the commissioner's office have vowed not to take their punishments lying down, as the aforementioned Vilma has vowed to "fight this injustice, to defend my reputation, to stand up for my team and my profession, and to send a clear signal to the commissioner that the process has failed," saying in a statement obtained by the Associated Press:

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"I never set out to intentionally hurt any player and never enticed any teammate to intentionally hurt another player," Vilma said. "I also never put any money into a bounty pool or helped to create a bounty pool intended to pay out money for injuring other players."

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Defensive end Will Smith, who received a four-game ban for his role in the program that allegedly offered monetary rewards for knocking opposing players out of games, also protested his innocence, claiming that "the accusations made against me are completely and 100 percent false, and I plan to appeal."Smith also issued a statement of his own:

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"I Never in my career, nor as a captain, asked others to intentionally target and hurt specific opposing players."

"Through this entire process, the NFL never notified me of what I was being accused of, nor presented me with any evidence or reasoning for this decision," Smith said. "I am interested in discovering who is making these specific and false accusations ... as well as why a decision was made without speaking with me and giving me the opportunity to review the facts."

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Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove, who received an eight-game suspension, and Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, who got three games, had no comment.

Teammates Come to the Defense of the Accused

The suspended players themselves weren't the only parties that felt the league's punishment was unwarranted, as several of Vilma and Smith's teammates with the Saints took to Twitter to defend their comrades after the suspensions were handed down.

Star tight end Jimmy Graham of the Saints had this to say:

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This is beyond ridiculous! I want to see the evidence and hear an explanation. Its sad when u have to hear about it on tv. Ridiculous!

— Jimmy Graham (@TheJimmyGraham) May 2, 2012

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New Orleans linebacker Scott Shanle echoed those sentiments:

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To take an entire season away from @JonVilma51 is absolutely ludicrous! portraying him in the way (cont) tl.gd/h8ii1f

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"— Scott Shanle (@scottshanle) May 2, 2012"

Backup quarterback Chase Daniel of the Saints was apparently with Vilma when he learned of his suspension from a rather unexpected source.

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I was standing right next 2 @jonvilma51 when he found out abt his suspension ON @SportsCenter. Really? He has to find out about it that way?

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"— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) May 2, 2012"

Other Saints players, such as wide receiver Lance Moore, believe that this will only serve to rally the troops in New Orleans.

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I wish I could say what I want to say right now, but I know that all eyes are on us right now. I'll just say it sucks, but we'll be fine!

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"— Lance Moore (@LanceMoore16) May 2, 2012"

That opinion is shared by second-year running back Mark Ingram.

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Here come the WHODAT haters!! We don care bout y'all!! Sit on the couch n watch us work!! #WHODAT

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"— Mark Ingram(@Mark_Ingram28) May 2, 2012"

It's not at all surprising to see teammates come to the defense of the suspended players, but given that over 20 players were originally linked to the scandal the Saints should probably be less outraged about the severity of the penalties that were handed down and more thankful that more players didn't get vacations.

Reaction from Other NFL Stars

Saints players weren't the only ones taking to the twitterverse to respond to news of the suspensions, and it wasn't at all shocking to see that one of those voices belonged to a player who is no stranger to the commissioner's office himself.

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Ridiculous, and nobody really sees why the punishments have been so severe over the past 3 4years! Lawsuits and 18 games???

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"— James Harrison (@jharrison9292) May 2, 2012"

That opinion was apparently shared by one of Harrison's teammates with the Steelers, who offered an interesting (albeit poorly worded) take on why he believes the punishments were meted out in the fashion they were.

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Wonder why the team got the least penalties in Bounty Gate! Think about who elects & reworded the commish, it's the owners of the trams!

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"— ryan clark (@RealRClark25) May 2, 2012"

Defensive players weren't the only ones to come out in opposition to the suspensions, as Miami running back Reggie Bush showed that some pros on the offensive side of the ball think the bans are bogus too.

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Man these Suspensions are outrageous! I'm honestly speechless about how all of this has played out. Something needs to be done about this!!

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"— Reggie Bush (@reggie_bush) May 2, 2012"

The irony of a player who got the USC football program eviscerated feigning outrage over rulebreakers being punished aside, not all NFL players were taken aback by the suspensions that were levied.

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I think the discipline handed down by the commissioner is just. The message Vilma and company sent is not one I want my children learning.

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"— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) May 2, 2012"

Of course, he's a punter, so his opinion doesn't really count.

The NFLPA Chimes In on the Players' Behalf

In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, the National Football League Players Association has come down squarely on the side of the suspended players, and if the statement released by union president DeMaurice Smith is any indication, this particular battle is far from over.

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After seeing the NFL's decision letters, the NFLPA has still not received any detailed or specific evidence from the league of these specific players' involvement in an alleged pay-to-injure program. We have made it clear that punishment without evidence is not fair. We have spoken with our players and their representatives and we will vigorously protect and pursue all options on their behalf.

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This sets the stage for what could quickly become a contentious legal showdown between the NFL and the NFLPA, and as one source told ESPN's Adam Schefter, "get ready for a massive multiple legal battle over this on several fronts."

Yay! Because lawyers always make things better!

Peter King Weighs In on the Subject

With a story this big, there was no doubt that the "big guns" among NFL writers would have an opinion on the subject, and Peter King of Sports Illustrated made his known in a Wednesday piece.

King agrees that a legal battle looms between the league and the players' union, but he also reported that it's a courtroom battle that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell saw coming and fully expects to win.

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Commissioner Roger Goodell was passionate about the bounty case from the start. Here he was, whacking players with huge fines over the past two seasons for violent hits, and he discovered evidence that the Saints were running a system to ratchet up the compensation for starry defensive performances, and for incentivizing defensive players to intentionally injure Kurt Warner and Brett Favre in the 2009 playoffs.

Once he met with union leaders in Manhattan two weeks ago, Goodell knew he wasn't going to get the kind of cooperation from the NFLPA he'd hoped for, because the union didn't believe the league had enough proof to suspend players. Indeed, NFLPA executive director De Smith said today, "We have made it clear that punishment without evidence is not fair," adding the union has not gotten detailed evidence of the four players' involvement in the bounty program.

It's ironic that, in my Monday column, I recalled a moment spent with Goodell late in 2010, when we were discussing something controversial that he could be at loggerheads with the union about. "We've got good lawyers too,'' Goodell said.

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The SI scribe also had an interesting take on the aforementioned Hargrove, who got half the season off even after cooperating fully with the league's investigation of the scandal.

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If Hargrove, as the league said in its release today, was suspended eight games after being a whistleblower and doing the league the service of signing a document confirming the existing of the bounty program, the NFL must have something major on him.

Favre was hit so hard and so repeatedly in the [2009 NFC Championship] game that the league shortly thereafter fined two Saints $25,000 for three separate illegal hits, the last leaving Favre with a badly sprained ankle. That led to NFL Films capturing Hargrove excitedly telling mates on the sidelines, while slapping their hands, "Favre is out of the game! Favre is done! Favre is done!''

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Finally, King offered his hope that regardless of the outcome of the appeals that are sure to be filed, the severity of these penalties will dissuade any team from instituting such ill-advised incentives in the future.

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Goodell has drawn the line in the sand with this case. And it's hard to believe any player will ever attempt to injure another player in an NFL game again.

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Not for nothing, but so long as James Harrison is still playing I wouldn't hold my breath Pete.

The Local Paper Has Their Say

To get a true feel for how the suspensions were received on a local level, it's best to go straight to the source, in this case the New Orleans Times-Picayune, for their take on the aftermath of "bountygate" in the Big Easy.

Times-Picayune writer Mike Triplett wasn't surprised that the league came down hard on the players, although Triplett writes that he's unsure why only four of the over 20 players that were reportedly involved received suspensions.

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The message has been clear: This type of bounty program can't be tolerated, and anyone who was in charge of it or should have been in charge of stopping it will pay the price.

What's less clear is why they were the only ones punished.

Is it because the NFL felt like the penalties against management and player-leaders were sufficient to send that loud, clear message?

Is it that the league didn't blame the rest of the 22 to 27 players said to have participated in the program because they were simply following orders? Or not taking those orders seriously?

Or is it because the league didn't have enough concrete evidence to accuse players of specific wrongdoing or harmful intent on the field, especially knowing that the NFL Players Association would likely fight back through the federal court system?

The answer probably is some combination of all of the above.

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Triplett goes on to say that while the NFL may well have wanted to punish additional players, it may not have the evidence necessary to do so, especially in light of the challenge from the players association that will undoubtedly follow this discipline.

Finally Triplett echoes the feelings of many players that some of the penalties may have been on the extreme side, but the Times-Picayune scribe lays the blame for this whole mess squarely where it belongs...at the feet of those involved.

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That doesn't mean the Saints are innocent victims in this bounty investigation, though. Not by a long shot.

They ran an illegal performance-incentive program, which included bonuses for opponents' injuries. They used bounties as a motivational tactic, and they lied about their existence to investigators.

If nothing else, the Saints are guilty of bad judgment and reckless behavior in an era when the NFL has made player safety its most public priority.

Yes, the NFL went overboard in handing out these punishments to make a statement at the Saints' expense, but the team also put itself in a vulnerable position. It gave the NFL a golden opportunity to "create a crisis."

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The moral of this story? Don't do stupid things.

Did the Saints Get Off Easy?

Not all sportswriters share Triplett's assertion that the Saints were punished too harshly, however.

In fact, some, including local writer Creg Stephenson of The Mississippi Press, believe that the team should be counting their blessings that the penalties laid down weren't more severe.

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The NFL announced player suspensions resulting from the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal on Wednesday, and my first reaction was: "That's it?"

For all the build-up and speculation about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell taking a wrecking ball to the Saints' 2012 season, the league's actions in terms of player discipline were decidedly toothless. I'm sure middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma is feeling stung today after being suspended for the entire season, and defensive end Will Smith will certainly be lonely for most of September due to a four-game ban, but the Saints got off relatively light.

Other current Saints players who had been linked to the bounty program, such as safeties Roman Harper and Malcolm Jenkins, will apparently escape punishment.

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Granted, the loss of Jonathan Vilma won't be a huge blow to the Saints, who had already planned for his loss by signing free-agent linebackers Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne, and the team can make do without Will Smith for four games.

Still, given the outrage that has been expressed by players and the union in regards to these suspensions, it's a safe bet that Roger Goodell laid down the harshest penalties he thought would stick, and Triplett believes Saints fans should be grateful for that:

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For Saints fans, Wednesday provided a bit of closure for what has been an ugly, embarrassing few months. And the end result was much better than many had reason to expect.

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Glass half-full and all that.

The Fans Speak Up

Lastly, no gauging of reaction to the suspensions levied as the result of "bountygate" would be complete without checking the reaction of the fans.

These comments were taken from the New Orleans Times-Picayune piece I referenced earlier in regards to the suspensions.

From Algiersfan:

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The NFLPA has not yet kicked King Roger, but wait for the federal court suit when the NLFPA files suit and says where is the evidence against any one? The idea that King Roger is the only one who can punish players for on field stuff and then can put the evidence under lock and key, well that is what the courts are in this country to take a look at the evidence under the lock and key and make a call if they think it is insufficient to support the charges.

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Roger Goodell reportedly consulted with former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White, who successfully prosecuted mob boss John Gotti for murder and racketeering in 1992, and she said that the case against the suspended players was "solid." So there.

From gumboYAYA:

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"They ran an illegal performance-incentive program, which included bonuses for opponents' injuries. They used bounties as a motivational tactic, and they lied about their existence to investigators."...According to who??

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Um, Anthony Hargrove for one, who signed a statement attesting to the existence of the bounty program.

And finally, from double nickel, who wins the hopeless optimist/slightly psychotic award:

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...nothing more than general BS!!!

 Goodell better be wearing tactical body armor when he comes here to hand us the Lombardi, LOL!!!

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Fans. Gotta love 'em (and fear them a little).

What do you think of the penalties handed down? Be sure to leave a comment below (preferably not involving body armor).