Payton becomes the first coach to get suspended by NFL

Barring an appeal, which appears unlikely, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton will go into the record books as the only NFL head coach ever to be suspended by the league. And it’s no small suspension. For his role in the now-infamous bounty program that financially rewarded Saints players for big hits on opponents from 2009-11, Payton has been suspended without pay for the entire 2012 season by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The explanation for Payton’s ban indicates he tried to cover up what the Saints were doing. But he’s not the only one who’s being forced to take a time-out during the 2012 season. Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was banned indefinitely. He was hired in the offseason as defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams. Goodell also banned Saints general manager Mickey Loomis for the first eight regular season games next season, and assistant coach Joe Vitt for the first six games. Goodell also fined the Saints $500,000 and took away their second-round draft picks this year and next. Goodell called what the Saints did “particularly unusual and egregious” and “totally unacceptable.” Goodell says fines for players are up next. Read about that in a story from The Times-Picayune here.