Bountygate, the biggest controversy in sports

Sophomore Derek Sun

In the Wild Wild West, bounties were placed on notorious criminals like Jesse James who evaded the law. These outlaws were hunted down and brought to justice. Fast forward a century and surprisingly, bounties are in use; however, the bounties are now being issued by the outlaws themselves.

The New Orleans Saints, the 2010 Super Bowl Champions, followed in the footsteps of the bounty system in the 1900s by paying bounties to defensive players to viciously attack the offensive players of other teams.

The bounty scandal of the Saints stated that any player who caught an interception, forced a fumble or knocked out targeted players on another team would be compensated.

Saints’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was the one who originated this practice. It is disgusting that Saints coach Sean Payton not only knew about these controversial options, but he also encouraged players to buy into the mentality that punishing hits would end with prizes such as extra money.

It is terrible to see a legendary and famed coach such as Payton soil his reputation. Now when sports fans hear his name, they will not think of him as the coach who rallied the city of New Orleans after the tragic hurricane Katrina or as the coach who revived a 3-13 football team into a playoff contender. Instead, they will remember the terrible price he paid players for hard hits on the other team.

This brutal type of action of rewarding players under the table for illegal and dangerous activity is horrendous. Although I will admit that seeing bone rattling hits is exciting, I think it is completely unacceptable for a coach to pay his players to purposely harm the players of another team. That is the antithesis of good sportsmanship and athletic integrity.

Payton has received a one-year suspension from the NFL.

 While some think his punishment is too hefty, it was the right decision.  Had Payton not been punished, other coaches would try and follow Payton’s example knowing there would be little to no punishment awaiting them.

This kind of dirty play ruins the competition of the game by adding an unnecessary incentive to hit hard. Professional athletes should be motivated to play their hardest all the time, not just when they are awarded money.

Not only should athletes always try their best, but there should be a fine line between healthy competition and dangerous animosity. Although football is a very physical sport where injuries are a common place, placing bounties on players to increase the risk of injury is completely unacceptable.

Payton, a well-respected coach, severely crossed the line as he deemed winning more important than integrity and the safety of his players.