Not since the mighty Fett fell into the Pit of Carkoon has bounty hunting ended so poorly - Sherriff Goodell suspends Saints coach Sean Payton for a YEAR.
You knew there were going to be some serious consequences as soon as New Orleans' organized bounty program came to light, but the NFL apparently stands for No Fucking Leniency as Goodell drops a heavy, heavy hammer on the Saints' organization.
In addition to the Saints' head man getting an unpaid vacation, defensive coordinator and bounty maestro Gregg Williams received an indefinite suspension from the league and even New Orleans GM Mickey Loomis caught an eight-game penalty (although what exactly that entails for a GM isn't immediately clear).
No penalties have been handed down to any Saints' players as yet - the NFL appears to be abiding by the Players' Association's request to hold off on player sanctions until the NFLPA completes its own investigation of the situation. Woe betide any player identified as any sort of a ringleader - the not-so-quiet assertions that this sort of behavior has existed with varying degrees of formalization in a number of NFL locker rooms make me think that Goodell is absolutely itching to give at least one player a full season off.
At any rate, it appears the Commissioner's office is firmly siding with Imperial Captain Piett on this one.
Bounty hunters? We don't need their scum.