Ummmm why?
Huge difference between playing hard and physical and placing bets to injure a player, cripple him, and earn incentives for having him carried off in a stretcher. You can't have bounties to injure and cripple other players.
Why is this such a hard concept for some folks to understand? Ah yes, cuz they've never played sports before. Since they think that sports is a full out war.
Since so many former players are suing the League. The League needed to show that this kind of nonsense isn't tolerated. They needed to show that they actually took measures to protect players and help prevent future lawsuits. NFL players know this, hence, you haven't heard criticisms of the league's suspension nor have you heard anyone coming to the Saints' aid.
Not to mention, the lame *** lying and cover up didn't help. You NEVER lie to the Comish. NEVER. I think their punishment would have been slightly less severe if they would have just come out and admitted to it. Instead, Payton tried his hardest to cover this whole thing up...
I think most folks who have played sports understand this basic concept. You play hard, you play aggressive, you play physical... Rarely (if ever) do you desire to injure the player across the court/field from you. Get a good hit on him? Absolutely. But then you line it up and do it again. You don't want to see him in a stretcher. And like hell would you ever place a bounty on anyone's head. that's a nasty criminal element that is found only as a minority.
You can be physical and nasty and not place bounties. And I don't buy that every lockerroom is doing the same BS. I think far fewer have bounties than do.
