Bell: Bounty ruling proves Goodell was sloppy

Bell: Bounty ruling proves Goodell was sloppy



Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY SportsShare
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Story Highlights

• Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, acting as a mediator, vacated all suspensions in the bounty scandal Tuesday
  

6:15PM EST December 11. 2012 - In coming off the bench to resolve the case of the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, Paul Tagliabue concluded what we've suspected for some time: It was a rather sloppy witch hunt.

Sure, there was a bounty system in place, and as it stands now -- with the former NFL commissioner-turned-arbitrator dismissing the punishment for the four players initially disciplined -- the right people have been held accountable.

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Even though the players fell in line, the brunt of this pay-to-injure case always should have been more about the rogue former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, and other Saints coaches and officials who fueled the scheme and then tried to cover it up.

But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his crew stumbled incredibly in trying to prove the case and issue punishment.

While Goodell can take solace in the fact there was wrongdoing uncovered and can stand behind a mission to change the culture in the name of safety, he was essentially sacked for a loss by his former boss. Tagliabue illuminated how weak the evidence was to justify the discipline that was imposed on Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove and Scott Fujita.

Remember when the NFL's findings were first announced in March? The league maintained Vilma had a fistful of cash in declaring a $10,000 bounty on Brett Favre, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback during the bounty program.
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Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who was appointed to handle a second round of player appeals to the league in the Saints bounty scandal, vacated the suspensions on Tuesday.
(Photo: Cliff Owen, AP)


Well, now it seems that one of the league's crucial witnesses, former Saints coaching assistant Mike Cerullo, admitted his notes from that out-of-control meeting before the 2009 NFC title game were, as Tagliabue noted, "partially inaccurate."

There's still no evidence Vilma had wads of cash, although some witnesses contend he pledged money toward the bounty on Favre, just like other players. Vilma never paid a cent or committed an act during the game to trigger a bounty payment, however.

The trash talk, though, apparently got him a one-year suspension, harshest of any of the players.

Essentially, Tagliabue threw out the discipline because it seemed too selective and inconsistent with how the NFL has handled violators of its laws.

Hargrove was suspended seven games for lying to league investigators? Players have done that before on other types of cases but were never suspended for it.

Interestingly, Favre was a two-way reference point in Tagliabue's ruling. Yes, the former quarterback was one of the bounty program's targets. But he was also a player who was found to obstruct a league investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct during his stint with the New York Jets -- for which he was fined $50,000 and not suspended.

In this investigation, was Hargrove the only player to obstruct justice?

From the start, the league contended about two dozen players participated in the bounty program. Yet it narrowed the discipline to four, the alleged ringleaders.

Well, Fujita, the players union rep, was exonerated entirely, with the money he pledged now apparently earmarked for big plays that did not involve injuries. Stuff like interceptions and sacks, which are included in the type of performance pool that pretty much every team in the league has had for decades.

No, the punishment didn't fit the alleged crimes in this case, and it's too bad that it had to come to this, with Tagliabue serving as The Great Mediator. If Tagliabue were still commissioner, it's apparent he would have been a lot more deliberate in weighing the reasons for discipline.

Hopefully, that's the takeaway for his successor.

Bring back Tagliabue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!