Vilma, ‘Bountygate’ Saints teammates are scum of the earth!

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (L)
tried to injure several of his NFL counterparts in order to collect a cash bounty reward.

As a former athlete that has played myriad sports in a multitude of competitive settings, I’d like to take the time to say that New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma – along with the other New Orleans Saints players that participated on their now-infamous bounty program – are absolute scum of the earth!

Okay, okay, I may be going a bit overboard with the ‘scum’ comparisons, but really, these guys are low-life athletes that I would never want to have on my team.

I mean, really, what athlete goes out looking to injure – and possibly end – the career of their counterparts?

Pro football is such a fast-paced, high-impact game these days that even the players themselves know that each and every play could very literally be their last, which is why no one tries to intentionally injure another player – because it can happen so easily in the natural course of a game.

Vilma also allegedly tried to injure gifted
Carolina Panthers rookie signal-caller Cam Newton. 

For Vilma and any of the other alleged 22-27 other players involved to want to intentionally injure another player tells me that these guys would compromise their own morals just to get a victory on the football field.

Whatever punishment commissioner Goodell doles out to the players involved – I’ll fully support his decision – because there is no place in sports for trying to intentionally hurt or end the career of an opposing player.

I’m actually hoping the no-nonsense commish slams Vilma and company with some serious suspension time so that others will get the message from here on in … trying to injure another player is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in any shape, form or fashion.

Maybe then, that’ll teach scum like Vilma and his ‘Bountygate’ involved teammates to actually play by the rules. 

‘Puh-leeze’ … save the apology Payton, Loomis

Saints head coach Sean Payton (L) and GM 

Mickey Loomis, tried to apologize for their 

roles in Bountygate, but 

Eye On Sports says - save it fellas'. 

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis issued a joint statement on March 6, in which they each took full responsibility for the bounty program in New Orleans.

“We acknowledge that the violations disclosed by the NFL during their investigation of our club happened under our watch,” they said in a statement. “These are serious violations and we understand the negative impact it has had on our game. Both of us have made it clear within our organization that this will never happen again, and make that same promise to the NFL and most importantly to all of our fans.”

The only problem I have with their joint apology us that it comes long after they were told to out an end to their, then alleged bounty program – and they didn’t.

When you break the law – and then do so repeatedly – I don’t want to hear how sorry you are for your crimes. Basically, Payton and Loomis were apparently going to allow the illegal bounty program to continue as long as they weren’t caught.

Now that they have been – and the s**t’s hitting the fan, I don’t want to hear an apology when you could have ended the career of another player.

Serves ‘em right … Saints get hammered!

The New Orleans Saints paid for their foolish 

bounty program in unprecedented fashion!

If players, GM’s and coaches across the NFL thought that commissioner Roger Goodell was playing around when he said that he was going to protect his league’s players from undue harm – they may want to think again after seeing Goodell lay down the hammer on the suddenly-dysfunctional New Orleans Saints on Wednesday.

Goodell body-slammed the Saints in an unprecedented – and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (now with the St. Louis Rams) for their respective participation in a bounty program, that awarded players cash for injuring opposing players.

The league’s investigation showed that the Saints placed monetary bounties on four of the game’s best former and current quarterbacks – Brett Favre, Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers and Kurt Warner.

Goodell suspended Saints head coach Sean Payton without pay for the entire 2012 season while also banning general manager Mickey Loomis for eight games and assistant coach Joe Vitt for the first six games of the season.

New Orleans also has to pay a whopping $500,000 fine while forfeiting its second-round draft picks in 2012 and 2013.

For his part in basically organizing the entire bounty program, Williams has been suspended indefinitely with Goodell stating that he will reevaluate his standing at the end of the 2012 season.

Williams’ suspension started with the league’s announcement while Payton’s will begin on April 1. Loomis’ suspension will begin following New Orleans’ final preseason game.

“We are all accountable and responsible for player health and safety and the integrity of the game,” Goodell said in a statement. “We will not tolerate conduct or a culture that undermines those priorities. No one is above the game or the rules that govern it. Respect for the game and the people who participate in it will not be compromised.

“A combination of elements made this matter particularly unusual and egregious. When there is targeting of players for injury and cash rewards over a three-year period, the involvement of the coaching staff, and three years of denials and willful disrespect of the rules, a strong and lasting message must be sent that such conduct is totally unacceptable and has no place in the game.”

All I can say Eye On Sports football fanatics is that I’m absolutely ecstatic to see commissioner Goodell lay down the hammer in an effort to clean up a sport that has seen an increase in cheap shots – and concussions – in recent seasons.

The Saints got just what they deserved after implementing the bounty program – and then foolishly allowing it to continue – even after being warned by the league last season.

The NFL also required every other franchise to confirm that they did not have bounty programs in place.