Bounties in the NFL

If you follow sports and the NFL, then you are familiar with the story that came out recently about the Saints and their "bounty system" for their defensive players. Basically, this system was run by their defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams (he admitted to it), and rewarded players for big plays, including knocking players out and having them carted off the field. First of all, I will admit that I cannot view this through an objective lens. Neither can any Saints fan. I am a huge fan of Brett Favre, watching him play at Southern Miss when I was a kid and following his NFL career with the Packers, Jets, and Vikings. I don't really have a favorite NFL team like I do with the Cardinals and baseball, just a Brett Favre fan. So, when the Vikings lost the NFC Championship game in 2010 to the Saints, I was devastated. It was Favre's last chance to get back to the Super Bowl. The Vikings dominated the game but ultimately lost because of turnovers and the Saints home field advantage, which they earned. I also felt that the Saints played dirty and took some cheap shots on Favre, and I wasn't alone. This has lead me to develop a deep dislike for the Saints and their coach, Sean Payton, who seems to think he is above the rules. I will admit that this has lead me to develop a bias against anything related to the Saints. But when the news broke recently about the bounty system the Saints had for three years, and that one Saints player offered $10,000 to anyone knocking Favre out of the game, it made me upset again. One, as an athletic trainer that spent 4 years working with college football teams, I know how violent and dangerous football can be. When you have athletes that large and fast colliding with each other, injuries are going to occur, even ones that are potentially career ending and life threatening. I understand that. I just do not think it is right to offer players rewards for injuring other players, especially when that involves hits to the head or around the knees. Again, I cannot take a objective view on this because of my loyalty to Favre. Saints fans cannot take an objective view due to their loyalty to their team. If you read columns and articles on the matter, there are many people that feel this practice is despicable, and others that think it isn't a big deal and occurs within every team. My suggestion is to let the NFL finish its investigation and determine how serious of a problem this is, and then decide how to punish the Saints.