By Kyle Zamiara
Sports Editor
Football is a physical sport, plain and simple.
Players will get hurt whether injuries are inflicted intentionally or not. It’s part of what is one of the most brutal sports out there. But getting paid to purposely blow out a knee is a different story.
ESPN shocked the nation last Friday when it reported St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams ran a bounty system to pay players extra cash for knocking out their opponents when he coached in Buffalo, Washington and New Orleans.
At least 22 to 27 Saints participated in the bounty hunting, according to a March 6 ESPN.com article.
The investigation found Williams and his players pooled their money together to hand out bonuses throughout the duration of three seasons, including 2009 – the year the Saints won the Super Bowl with Williams as defensive coordinator.
Payments were $1,500 for a knockout and $1,000 if the player was carted off the field, according to a March 7 Wall Street Journal article.
Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma also joined in on the bounty system by offering $10,000 to any player on the team that knocked out Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre in the 2009 NFC Championship Game, according to a March 4 USA Today article.
The Saints ended up beating the Vikings in overtime after injuring Favre’s leg in the third quarter, hampered him for the rest of the game.
Ask any NFL player and they’ll tell you the bounty system is nothing new. Buffalo Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman tweeted March 2, “Why is this a big deal now? Bounties been going on forever.”
Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Jaret Johnson told ESPN.com March 4, “In my opinion, in my experience in the NFL, the things you hear about bounties get blown out of proportion.”
NFL players say it’s not a big deal because most of the blame is going toward the coaches they can hide behind. Knocking a quarterback out cold just for an extra buck is ridiculous, and players know that too.
According to a March 5 NFL.com article, bounties have been around since the 1980s. In 1989, the Philadelphia Eagles were accused by former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson of placing a bounty on quarterback Troy Aikman and kicker Luis Zendejas in a Thanksgiving Day game.
The NFL investigated the incident, but found no proof.
Just a few seasons ago, Baltimore Ravens defensive end/outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said on an Atlanta sports talk show the team had a bounty on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and running back Rashard Mendenhall.
Mendenhall ended up leaving the game in question against the Ravens with a season-ending shoulder injury.
Former Ravens coach Brain Billick admitted to using a bounty system during his time with the team in the same article, saying, “Every team does it.”
Part of an NFL coach’s job is giving players incentive to play harder and more aggressive than their opponent. I can understand the NFL is a competitive league and a big hit can change the momentum of the game, but there’s a reason the NFL is trying to eliminate blows to the head.
The sport is dangerous enough without coaches running bounty programs to give players an extra $1,000 in their pockets. If a player isn’t performing to the coach’s standard, the coach should take a new approach on giving his players incentive. Cut the guy for all I care.
I hope the NFL does the right thing and bans Williams from the league for this absurd system.
Players get paid millions every year to play on the gridiron. Do they really need much more?
zamiarkj10@bonaventure.edu
