The Associated Press reports the NFLPA has warned players involved in the Saints' bounty scandal there is a possibility they could face criminal charges.
The NFLPA has "suggested" the players have a lawyer and union representative present when they meet with NFL investigators. It's extremely unusual for criminal charges to be pursued against athletes for actions committed on the field, but not unprecedented. Although there is still surprisingly little known about the player aspect of the bounty scandal, Saints MLB Jonathan Vilma may have the most to worry about.
There should be some penalty to the players involved, but they need not be severe. More of a token to formally acknowledge their involvement. The teams need to police this, and hopefully the punishment to the Saints will influence behavior of all teams going forward.
Criminal charges seem over the top-this time. The league should be clear that going forward players who do this crap are subject to criminal action.
Comments
cowpokes24Mon 4/2/12 9:51 AM
im so tired of hearing about this bullshit, the team got punished so move on
RustyDuckMon 4/2/12 10:05 AM
There should be some penalty to the players involved, but they need not be severe. More of a token to formally acknowledge their involvement. The teams need to police this, and hopefully the punishment to the Saints will influence behavior of all teams going forward.
Criminal charges seem over the top-this time. The league should be clear that going forward players who do this crap are subject to criminal action.
cowpokes24Mon 4/2/12 11:10 AM
i agree, criminal charges are absurd