Current Event:

National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell announced severe disciplinary actions against the management and coaching staff of the New Orleans Saints for running a program that rewarded members with cash bonuses for injuring opposing players. From 2009 through the 2011 football season, New Orleans coaches operated a “bounty system” that targeted specific players for injury. The cash bounty was increased if a key player on the opposing team was injured and had to leave a game.

Members of the Saints team were paid a bounty if they injured such players as quarterback Brett Favre (holding ball) during a game. (Courtesy of Icon Sports Media Inc.)

Objective:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the Saints coaches’ actions were a severe violation of NFL league rules and constituted conduct detrimental to the league and players. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles will explain the consequences of their actions and how it came at a time when the NFL is already facing increasing criticism over its commitment to player health and safety.

People & Organizations To Know:

• Aaron Rodgers
• Brett Favre
• Cam Newton
• Greg Williams
• Kurt Warner
• National Football League (NFL)
• New Orleans Saints
• Roger Goodell
• Sean Payton
• St. Louis Rams

Discussion Topics:

1. Sports provide entertainment for people throughout the world. Large crowds attend sporting events in person, and millions of sports fans also follow their favorite teams and athletes on television. Survey your students to see how many are football fans and which teams or players they root for. Ask those who aren’t football fans if they prefer another sport and, if so, which one and why.

2. The Saints’ “bounty system” is not the only scandal that has plagued professional sports leagues. Ask your students if they can name any other scandals that have happened over the years in any sport. (They might say doping or cheating.)

3. In light of the scandal, New Orleans head coach Sean Payton was suspended without pay for the entire 2012 season. Saints defensive coordinator Greg Williams, who was found primarily responsible for operating the bounty program, was suspended indefinitely. The Saints’ general manager also received an eight-game suspension, and the team will have to pay a substantial fine. Do your students agree with the punishments? Why or why not?

4. The unprecedented penalties were announced at a time when the NFL is facing increasing criticism over its commitment to player health and safety. In December 2011, 21 former NFL players claimed in a lawsuit that they had suffered severe and permanent brain damage from concussions received in games. The players claim the NFL misrepresented the long-term health consequences of head injuries to players. Ask your students what they know about concussions and explain what happens during the injury.