Saints Bounty Scandal

           The New Orleans Saints are making headlines again and it is not because of their prolific offense, rather, it is because of their callous defense.  Allegedly, defensive players were making side bets with each other to encourage menacing tackles and blows to the opposing team throughout the game, essentially putting “bounties” on players to purposively injure them and take them out.  An NFL investigation reported that this “bounty system” was implemented in 2009 (when the Saints won the Super Bowl) under Greg Williams, the defensive coordinator, to 2011 and involved between 22 and 27 players.  Sports writers and various media commentators have characterized the actions of these players as “debasing the game”, “filthy”, and “taking the integrity out of the sport”.  The NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, is expected to take punitive action against the team, Greg Williams, and the various players involved.  But is the backlash and incessant criticism of the Saints players and coach truly warranted?  Can you honestly say you were surprised and flabbergasted when you found out?  This is football we are talking about: It is a rendition of Roman sport, where gladiators would fight each other to give the crowd a grand spectacle.  Football has a cherished history of being a tough-guy, macho sport, but with all the new “safety” rules and counter culture influencing the game, it has been bastardized and its “integrity” will shrivel to nothing more than an imitation of two-hand touch.   

            First, let’s address why we love football.  Is it because of the camaraderie displayed on the field?  No, we see that in other less favored sports such as soccer and baseball.  Is it because the best athletes in the world play the game?  No, Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt are really talented, yet neither chose to play football.  Is it because we get to see insanely fast and strong people hit each other as hard as they can?  I think so because consider this point:  Have you ever screamed at the TV when you saw a big hit?  Have you ever watched a replay of a big hit on YouTube, e.g. Joe Theismann and Lawrence Taylor?  Have you ever watched a defensive recruit’s game film to see his big hits montage?  If you did not say yes to one of the aforementioned questions then you are not a fan of football and can stop reading this article, as it will be irrelevant to you.  But for those of you who answered yes, we must then carry on this logic and ask the next question: What are we really paying for then when we attend a football game?  We want to see big hits.  We want to see our beloved team go to battle and triumph on the field of glory.  Now that we understand our underlying desires, let’s then refocus this discussion back to the Saints and their bounty system. 

            The game of football is supposed to be played hard and instinctively.  If this mentality is forced to change, the game will change with it, and not for the better.  Although the new NFL rules regarding safety have great intentions, they are detrimental to the sport and create an ambiguous gray area regarding what is legal and what is not.  If the league truly cares about player safety, and not just mitigating defensive play so fans can see more touchdowns (think about NBA defense and offense), then they should research and develop the best equipment and train referees to throw necessary flags.  The league, however, should not pass new rules and put a stranglehold on the tenacious defense we all pay to see.  More specifically, in regards to the Saints, it would be ludicrous for us to believe that a defensive player goes onto the field with the intention to incapacitate, but simultaneously the same goes for believing that all they want to do is merely tackle the opposing player.  Just as there is a common misconception that the FBI’s lethal force doctrine is “shoot to kill” -- when it really is “eliminate the threat” -- there is a common misconception from a fan perspective when it comes to football psychology.  When a player is on the gridiron, it is 1 versus 11, and those 11 are getting paid to make sure that he does his job poorly.  Also, when you sign up to play football you know -- just like investing in the stock market -- that there are inherent risks that you should be aware of and if you are not comfortable with those risks then you should not play the game. 

In 2006, after a game against the Tennessee Volunteers, Miami tight end Kellen Winslow made exclamatory remarks when asked about his block that injured a Volunteer: “I don’t give a damn.  He would do the same thing to me…they don’t give a freaking you know what about you.  They will kill you.  They are out there to kill you…if I didn’t hurt him, he would hurt me.  They were gunning for my legs.  I’m going to come right back at them.”  Winslow’s comments and sentiments illuminate how a testosterone-filled, heavy contact sport can lead to a callous mentality, and when you are in the middle of it, survival mode automatically kicks in.  The behavior displayed by the Saints is characteristic of football’s culture, big money influence, and the nature of competition in general. 

            But yes, it was wrong for the players to make malicious side bets and I will not contend otherwise.  However, this kind of activity has plagued sports for years and will continue to do so because so much money is on the line and the fans, regardless of their ostensible objections, want their team to win at almost any cost.  This activity is displayed time and time again in the realm of college recruiting.  If a big recruit signs to your school, you can expect that he is receiving some sort of preferential treatment or was persuaded by some NCAA objectionable means.  I am not advocating that this is right, rather, I am pointing out that we are hypercritical.  We object to the methods and treatment of athletes in society, e.g. their ridiculous wages, the crimes they get away with, the lenient academic standards, yet we have developed a sports culture where superstars are transcendent and winning can erase any off the field problem.  The activities the Saints players engaged in are representative of the underlying problems a big market sport creates. 

            What the NFL should do in this situation is take pointed punitive action: Greg Williams should be banned from the league just like Pete Rose from baseball, and the players should be heavily fined.  I do not believe extraordinary actions are necessary because it is retroactive and will only make those players a “poster child” and, moreover, it would be naïve to think that these types of activities were limited to only these select few.  With that being said, future punitive measures should be raised and one possibility is a whole season suspension.  With that kind of punishment hanging over their heads, and the kind of money involved if they have to sit out all season, those malicious betting activities should be eradicated from the locker rooms.  The NFL should not use this scandal as an opportunity to adopt more “safety” rules and try to look like a moral paragon.  Rather, they should implement a policy of stare decisis or even deregulate.  As Coach Carter said: “Let the boys play.”