The NFL competition committee and security officials met until almost midnight last night to discuss the player fines and suspensions for “Bountygate”. The majority of the fines seem to be of the garden-variety $25,000 to $50,000 range for most players involved.
The biggest hits to the current Saints roster are Jonathan Vilma, Roman Harper and Tracy Porter who all received 1 year suspensions and $100,000 fines. Former Saint and current Philadelphia Eagles free agent Bobby McCray is also in that top tier of suspensions. Bobby McCray who has already been fined $20,000 for illegal hits on Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Brett Favre in the 2010 NFC Championship game, a hit that has been directly tied to Bountygate.
Current Saints Malcolm Jenkins, Jabari Greer and Sedrick Ellis all face 8 game suspensions and $75,000 fines for their part in the scandal. The list is not exclusive to defensive players and two marquee names jump off the page when you look at the list.
NFL security officials said that email chains show New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees and ex Saint running back Reggie Bush to be major and consistent contributors to the “bounty fund.” For their financial participation in Bountygate, Brees and current Miami Dolphin Reggie Bush are both suspended six games and have been fined $100,000.
The NFL competition committee said the suspensions will be enforced immediately; the players can appeal the suspensions. NFL spokesperson Dick Warze noted the email evidence against the players is so strong he does not expect any of the fined or suspended players to appeal. The full list of suspensions of current and former Saints and email transcripts are expected to be released later today by the NFL.
