New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton silenced by NFL - NFL News
New Orleans Saints head coach, Sean Payton began his one-year suspension on Monday, April 16, 2012 and will not be allowed to communicate with any of his friends or coaches in the National Football League (NFL) and especially at the New Orleans Saints.
The head coach will have to first notify the league through its executive Ray Anderson before talking to anyone in his team.
This is going to be a long lonely year for the Saints head coach as he serves his suspension and with no contact with anyone close to the game he loves things will only get worse.
Payton the only head coach to take the Saints to a Super Bowl Championship in 2009 was first suspended by the league in a decision announced by commissioner, Roger Goodell for his part in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal.
The head coach was accused by the league of lying to its investigators by denying the existence of the programme and doing nothing to put an end to the illegal activities happening in the Saints defensive roster.
With Payton out the Saints have turned to assistant coach, Joe Vitt to take over the role in the interim but Vitt will also miss out on the franchise’s first six games as he too faces a suspension over the bounty scandal.
The bounty programme run by former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams who is currently indefinitely suspended by the league, has taken a heavy toll on the Saints with the franchise fined $ 500,000 and having its second round draft picks taken away for
two seasons.
During his suspension, Payton will however, be allowed to work for any other company except that which is part of the league and Fox Sports Network had suggested earlier that they might make a move to bring the suspended head coach to become an analyst during
games.
The Saints ended last season 13-3 in the regular season and reached the divisional rounds of the playoffs where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers.
This year they face multiple problems from suspensions to an unhappy quarterback in Drew Brees who is still waiting to be offered a new deal.
It would be interesting how the franchise deals with the adversity in the upcoming 2012-13 season.
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