Sean Peyton, as well as the Saints organization, was hit with a huge penalty for Bountygate.
Sean Peyton, as well as the Saints organization, was hit with a huge penalty for Bountygate. REUTERS

NFL Comissioner Roger Goodell slammed the New Orleans Saints with an incredible punishment today for the bounty for injuries scandal that has plagued them for most of the offseason.

Head coach Sean Peyton was banned for a year, the first time in league history that an NFL head coach has been suspended. Saints GM Mickey Loomis was banned for eight games and assistant coach Joe Vitt will sit out six games.

But the biggest ban was handed down to former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams who is now with the St. Louis Rams. Williams was banned indefinitely with the NFL saying they will revisit Williams's penalty next year.

The Saints were also docked $500,000 and lose a second round pick in 2012 and 2013. The penalties blow away the previous standard for the toughest penalties ever handed down by the NFL, Spygate.

When the Patriots were caught filming opposing team workouts in 2007, Goodell hit Bill Belichick wth a $500,000 fine, the Patriots with a $250,000 fine and took a first round pick. Given that Peyton is scheduled to make $8 million this year, which he will now not receive, the penalties aren't even vaguely comparable in any way.

Obviously the league is continuing to push their newer, more stringent standards on player safety and took this opportunity to send an unequivocal message to the rest of the league.

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