Saints Punishments For Bounty Scandal Are Stunning

As Mitch Holthus might say, the NFL brought the hammer down on Wednesday afternoon with the punishment of those involved in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal. We knew the NFL would take this seriously and offer up stiff punishments but seeing it all on paper is just stunning.

All the punishments....

The Saints organization has been fined $500,000. They're also losing second round picks in the 2012 and 2013 NFL drafts. Wow on the draft picks. That's worse than losing one first round pick, like the Patriots did for Spygate.

Head coach Sean Payton has been suspended without pay for one year. That's from April to April 1. This is just....unbelievable. I didn't expect one year and Payton apparently didn't either telling Jay Glazer he was stunned by the suspension.

Saints GM Mickey Loomis has been suspended without pay for the first eight regular season games. The silver lining? He'll be around for the draft.

Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely. Which means for at least one year and then NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will re-examine his status. He could be gone for life, folks. Williams is an Excelsior Springs, Kan. native and Kent Babb had a story over the weekend in the KC Star which said he feared a lifetime ban could be coming. Wow.

Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt has been suspended six games without pay. He was a candidate to replace Payton for the year...until he got suspended.

None of the players have been punished yet. The NFLPA is conducting their own investigation so, believe it or not, more punishments are likely coming. Goodell came across as very stern in his press release.

Too much? Not enough? Just right?