Bounty Mess

So, the NFL Players Association is going back in time in their defense of the New Orleans Saints players that took part in a bounty system. The union is using the "Smash for Cash" program run by Green Bay Packers defensive end Reggie White nearly twenty years ago as evidence that the NFL once accepted a bounty system. White had a system of rewarding his teammates monetarily for big plays in games. Since the league allowed it then, the union claims that's enough to say that it's a-okay now. This is ridiculous on so many levels that I initially thought that the whole thing was a big joke. First of all, just because something was legal at some point in the past doesn't mean that it should be legal now. Only a couple of years ago it was fine to inflict helmet-to-helmet harm on opponents. There's a whole list of things that could be done on a football field during the career of Reggie White that would draw fines and suspensions now. The union must see that this path is absurd. Beyond going to the relative distant past to justify the Saints bounty system, White's "Smash for Cash" isn't even the same thing. Unfortunately, White is no longer with us to explain his program but LeRoy Butler is. White's teammate on those Packers teams says that they did not reward for the injury of opposing players. They only rewarded for big defensive plays. Interceptions, fumbles, sacks, etc. It wasn't a bounty system. This distinction has been one of my biggest issues throughout this entire bounty mess. For some reason everyone seems to lump bounties with pay-for-performance. Outside of money possibly being involved, they have absolutely nothing in common. One is slightly outside of being legal. One is so far outside of being legal it might even be considered criminal. Bounties are rewards for injuring opposing players. Why anyone would consider intentionally injuring other players on par with intercepting a pass is beyond me but so many have tossed them all in the same bucket. Football is an incredibly brutal game when everything is done within the rules. The only proof that I ever needed that the Saints cared little for the rules of the game was found in watching the 2009 NFC Championship game. That Saints defense only cared about breaking Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre. By thier actions and reactions it was obvious that defense didn't care at all whether there were penalties or injuries. Saints idiot defensive coordinator Gregg Williams admitted as much when he said that they didn't care about the penalties. Bounties toss out the mutual respect that professional football players must have for one another in order to keep the game from going down a very dark path. The misnamed Saints just didn't care. They perpetuated a complete disrespect for their peers and for the game. They can't dive into the past to justify what they did. Nothing can justify it so why even try.