The biggest evidence against the Saints in the NFL’s bounty investigation may have come directly from the Saints.
According to Peter King, during the 2010 NFC Championship Game between the Saints and Vikings, an on-field microphone directed toward the sideline caught an unidentified defender saying, “Pay me my money!” after injuring quarterback Brett Favre’s ankle.
Favre was brutalized by the Saints and hit numerous times, even when he didn’t have the ball. Even a week after the game, his hamstring and ankle were seriously discolored.
People who are upset with a “snitch” for ratting out the Saints should look at New Orleans personnel first. Between this report and the 2010 interview by Gregg Williams, we’re seeing that the team’s actions and words are responsible for the NFL investigation.
It’s difficult to read a report like this one and deny that the monetary incentives drove the Saints to injure opponents, which as Kyle Turley says, crosses a big line. This is the exact sort of reason why the NFL will punish the Saints severely for operating the bounty system. Players would have played hard with the Super Bowl at stake, but would they have been as driven to injure their opponents? Maybe not.
