Players union NFLPA ready to conduct investigation into New Orleans Saints bounty scandal - NFL News
New Orleans Saints are set to undergo another investigation after the revelation on Friday that the franchise had been running an illegal bounty program for three years.
The latest probe is set to be undertaken by the players union National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) who have asked the league for time to conduct its own interviews so as to confirm the extent of involvement by the players.
The NFLPA, which upholds the interest of players, on Wednesday, released a statement confirming its resolve to start a new probe over the controversy.
"If the facts prove that players voluntarily and willingly participated in conduct that jeopardized health and safety, we will work with them and the league to put in place additional safeguards to prevent this in the future. Dangerous play and acts on the
field by players intended to injure have no place in football. We must do better to ensure that this activity is not a part of our game."
This is the first time that the union had presented its stance since the release of a National Football League (NFL) report on Friday confirming that around 22 to 27 players of the Saints were involved in the bounty program.
According to the report, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams ran the program which had a bounty pool of a maximum $ 50,000 to reward players on injuring specific opponents.
The Saints management team including general manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton were in full knowledge of what was happening yet did nothing to stop the program which reached its peak in 2009 when New Orleans won its one and only Super Bowl
Championship.
All three have since apologised over the incident.
The league under commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to hand out severe punishments including multiple fines and suspensions and may even take back the Saints picks in this year’s drafts.
The NFLPA acknowledged the severity of the accusations in its statement but said that it will protect the players’ interest vigorously.
Their statement also noted that the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) provides rules and regulations to help protect players from coercive actions from coaches and teams that compromise safety.
It remains to be seen if the league will allow the union access to front office staff and coaches to conduct its investigation.
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