New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton may become analyst on FOX Sports during suspension - NFL News
New Orleans head coach, Sean Payton, became the first National Football League (NFL) coach to be suspended by the league for his failure to stop the Saints bounty program while also lying to the league during an earlier investigation.
Payton has been handed a year’s suspension for his role in the scandal which ran for three seasons spanning 2009-11 and will be ineligible to work for the franchise starting April 1st.
The suspension is unpaid meaning that the Super Bowl winning coach will have to go without an approximately $ 6 million in salaries.
However, Payton’s brilliance as a head coach and his experience in the league may yet help him land another job to while away the time till he can regain the Saints hot seat.
According to the New York Times, the disgraced Saints leader may land a job as a television analyst for FOX Sports.
That scenario will also pose no problems to the league who have barred him only from working with the Saints.
"He is suspended from the NFL for the season," the league said in a statement to The Times. "His involvement in any non-NFL employment or business matters is not our decision."
The Times reported on Saturday, that ESPN, NBC and CBS who own the rights to broadcast NFL games have all refused such a possibility but FOX is looking into the scenario with keen interest.
FOX Sports senior vice president for communications Lou D’Ermilio told the newspaper that Payton brings great qualities to the table and they will consider the possibility of bringing him onboard.
"Our feeling about Sean is that he’s bright, articulate and obviously contemporary. Any network with NFL rights would have to consider it."
It seems a great opportunity for the head coach who is banned from getting involved with the Saints in any manner for an entire year.
The Saints have still not announced who will take on the head coaching job in the interim but it seems likely that new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo who has previous head coaching experience with the St. Louis Rams may take over the role.
Whoever takes on the role will be comprehensively briefed by Payton before his suspension comes into effect.
More news on this will become available in the coming days.
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