You Heard It Here First: Reward Programs, Targeting Players Will Become Illegal

With the revelations this week about the New Orleans Saints bounty system, there has been a very mixed reaction. Players, coaches and commentators are taking sides and the issue is dividing fans. Even between those of us at NFL Spin Zone there are varying opinions.

At the end of the day, this whole business happened for three reasons – 1. The Saints chose to ignore the rules and warnings from the NFL; 2. Someone told tales out of school; 3. Roger Goodell is on a crusade to make the NFL safer.

It is the third reason that I am addressing this week in You Heard It Here First.

Let’s take you back to the past 2-3 years. In that time, we have seen multiple reports and studies conducted and carried out that study the effects of violent sports like professional wrestling and NFL football on the human body. A good deal of this research has an origin in tragedy as we have seen those who engage in such sports having multiple health issues of which the most prominently studied being brain diseases. In the most extreme example, it is now believed that it was a brain disease caused by multiple concussions that caused former WWE wrestler Chris Benoit to murder his wife and child before committing suicide.

With the reports coming in and the threat of possible lawsuits being directed at the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell has been taking unprecedented steps to make the NFL safer and to try and prevent injuries from happening. The goal is not to eradicate injury – that’s impossible in a violent game – but rather to enable the risks that NFL players take to be reduced to a minimum.

Reaction to the changes has been varied. In some ways the moves have been a success as we have seen players learning to adapt. In some ways however the changes have not and will not have an effect. Some players will always play the way they do and cannot change their way of playing – James Harrison is the poster child for this.

The NFL’s investigation into the New Orleans Saints bounty system and the ensuing release of the findings has brought to light a part of the NFL that could very easily be the next big change the NFL Commissioner looks to put in place. Reward systems for big hits have been a part of the NFL for many years now. While they are technically illegal as the payments made constitute a breach of salary cap laws, it is a practice that is largely swept under the carpet.

The bounty system that has been discovered is a form of a reward system but it is much more serious. In regular rewards schemes in the NFL, players would be rewarded for their play. Under Gregg Williams, players were actively encouraged to seek to injure players. This is where the Saints crossed the line when it comes to this traditional practice.

By seeking to intentionally injure opponents, the New Orleans Saints may have put the entire practice of rewards in jeopardy.

What is the best way to prevent a bounty system from ever occurring again? Outlaw it? It’s already against the rules. Outlaw rewards systems? Nope, technically they’re illegal too. So now the only way to prevent another bounty system from happening is to not only bring in new rules that specifically target this practice but also to actively enforce the rules in regards to rewards systems. Otherwise, it would be all too easy for instances of bounty hunting to sneak back in.

In the end, it will never be possible to eliminate the practice of targeting players. That is a necessary part of the game. The part that is likely to be stopped is the incentives put in place to make the hits as worthwhile. The side bets are what the NFL will seek to remove.

Making players targets of a gameplan is fine. Deliberately seeking to injure players is not. Given the recent track record of Roger Goodell in regards to cracking down on player safety, would you bet against the NFL getting tough on rewards systems?

When it happens, I won’t be surprised and now neither will you because You Heard It Here First.

To stay up to date on the latest from NFL Spin Zone, become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.