NEW ORLEANS — Former Saints defensive lineman Anthony Hargove describes in a sworn statement how he was told by ex-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and current New Orleans assistant head coach Joe Vitt to deny the existence of a bounty program to NFL investigators.

In a document obtained Monday by The Associated Press, Hargrove acknowledges that he acted on Williams’ and Vitt’s instructions to “play dumb” if asked whether he was aware of bounties being placed on former Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre or any other player.

The declaration does not go into specifics, however, about just what Hargrove knew or did not know about the bounty program in New Orleans, and for that reason it has become a point of contention between the NFL and the NFL Players Association.

From the union’s perspective, Hargrove’s statement does not say that he lied to anyone, nor does it state that he or any other Saints participated in a bounty program that offered cash bonuses for hits that injured targeted opponents.

The NFL, by contrast, has said that Hargrove’s words acknowledge the existence of a bounty program and show that Hargrove initially lied to NFL investigators about it.

In describing Hargrove’s declaration last week, Mary Jo White, a former U.S. attorney hired by the NFL to review its investigation, said the player, “acknowledges the nature of the program and his participation in it, and, which is really the thrust of the declaration, that he was told to lie about it, and he did when he was asked about it in 2010 by the NFL investigators.”

Hargrove, currently with Green Bay, was one of four players who received suspensions of various lengths in connection with the bounty probe. Hargrove was suspended eight games, Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the entire season, Saints defensive end Will Smith for four games and Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita for three games.

Vilma’s attorney, Peter Ginsberg called the NFL’s characterization of Hargrove’s statement “misleading.”

“All we know from the declaration is that a couple of coaches were in trouble and hoped for support from him,” Ginsberg said. “Anthony’s declaration in no way supports that he lied, that a bounty system existed or that players participated in any kind of inappropriate program. It’s a shame that the NFL needed to have mischaracterized that declaration in order to justify these punishments. It’s just another reason to conclude that the NFL has no evidence to justify what it has done to the players.”

The NFL has said the Saints’ bounty program was run by Williams from 2009 through 2011. Williams has been suspended indefinitely by the league and has apologized for his actions.

All four players are appealing. The NFLPA also has filed grievances with the NFL, arguing that Commissioner Roger Goodell lacked the authority to punish players for off-the-field matters that predated last August’s new collective bargaining agreement, and that Goodell should not hear the appeals of the players’ suspensions in the bounty matter.

No other players are mentioned in Hargrove’s sworn statement, which also does not contain any description of payments being pledged, made, or received.

In his declaration, first published Monday by Yahoo Sports, Hargrove describes how he was called into a late February 2010 meeting with Williams and Vitt. The coaches said they had heard Hargrove might have told Minnesota Vikings player Jimmy Kennedy — a friend and former teammate in St. Louis — that there had been a bounty on Favre in the NFL title game near the end of the 2009 season.

The statement then describes Williams saying, in obscenity-laced terms, that league officials, “have been trying to get me for years,” and “if we all stay on the same page, this will blow over.”

It also describes Vitt reminding Hargrove that he brought him into the league with St. Louis and later brought him to the Saints — a second chance Hargrove had sought in the NFL after being suspended for drug abuse.

Hargrove’s statement says that in March 2010 he met with NFL investigators, who asked him a range of questions about a bounty program in New Orleans, and that he denied knowledge of any of it, in line with the “clear directions” he had received from Williams and Vitt.

– The Associated Press

New Orleans Saints interim coach Joe Vitt adamantly denied the claims of former Saints player Anthony Hargrove on Monday night, insisting that he never told Hargrove to lie or deny the existence of the team’s alleged bounty program. Hargrove made those claims in a declaration to the NFL that was obtained by Yahoo! Sports on Monday.

“At no time did I ever tell Anthony Hargrove to lie or deny the existence (of the alleged bounty program),” Vitt said. “He can say whatever he wants to say. It just didn’t happen.”

Vitt also reiterated what he said last month, insisting that Saints players were never taught to target players from opposing teams with an intent to injure. Vitt admitted that the Saints had a pay-for-performance pool for big plays, and he admitted that the language used by coaches needs to be cleaned up. But he said the first time he ever heard the word “bounty” was when he was in New York meeting with NFL investigators.

“We had a pot for big plays, the same thing everyone else in the league has, now they call them pay-for-performance. But we never paid for dirty hits,” Vitt said. “I’ll say it again, the exact same thing I told the commissioner, our players never crossed the white lines with an intent to maim or injure. They never threatened the integrity of the game when they crossed the white lines.”

The wait only could be more tortuous for the New Orleans Saints and their fans if they were forced to watch a continuous loop of the Mike Ditka era while biding their time. Or if they were sentenced to having to watch and breakdown each individual snap taken by quarterbacks Heath Shuler, Kerry Collins and Billy Joe Hobert during their careers in New Orleans.

Which leaves only one piece of advice to offer: Get on with it commissioner.

For the love of Pete (Carmichael Jr.), in the name of all that is fair and Good(dell), announce the player suspensions and fines associated with the Saints’ three-year bounty program that the NFL determined was in effect, and prepare for the appeals process already.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has dragged out that portion of the process far longer than anyone possibly could have imagined, given the weekly leak from “sources” that this week would be the week names would be named and punishments would be issued.

Yet, still, the NFL world waits.

For Goodell to consult with the NFL Players Association. And for him to speak directly to Saints players involved in the bounty program, players whom he says were enthusiastic participants and because they were, their penalties will not be wrist-slaps.

Meanwhile, the NFL draft has come and gone. And Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis, who will miss eight games without pay because of his accepted responsibility in the bounty program, further has been accused of eavesdropping on opposing coaches from 2002-04.

And Coach Sean Payton (a one-year suspension) has played in the pro am of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and returned as a spectator another day.

And Saints owner Tom Benson has bought the Hornets and solidified the future of the NBA franchise.

And even though quarterback Drew Brees’ contract status hasn’t budged, the anxiety level of Saints fans have. And they are about a 10-yard out short of having panic attacks because Brees is under the franchise player designation, rather than a long-term contract.

So, get on with it commissioner.

Move forward this ruling — the management portion was divvied March 21 — and let the players get on with moving forward, defending themselves, appealing the penalties or whatever it is that inevitably is going to happen.

Now, that’s not to say that Goodell shouldn’t be as thorough as possible. It’s a serious charge he has levied and is convinced he has proof of, evidence that has been presented and used in forming his decision to suspend Loomis, Payton and assistant head coach Joe Vitt (six games without pay), and to fine the franchise $500,000 and take away two second-round draft picks (this year and next).

And former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who has been cast in the Beelzebub-ian role as initiator and maestro of the program in New Orleans, has been indefinitely suspended; his status will be reviewed by Goodell after the season.

The commissioner absolutely should feel as comfortable and as decisive when distributing player fines and suspensions as he felt when he issued management fines and suspensions.

He was right then, in the attempt to eliminate programs that provide financial incentives to players for taking out fellow members of their union and, yes, to protect the league from future litigation. It would be stupid for Goodell and owners to not try to take bold, decisive, eye-opening corrective steps to keep the NFL out of court and off the losing end of lawsuits, and anyone who criticizes him for trying to make the game safer and keep it profitable probably hasn’t had the privilege of being the caretaker of a billion-dollar industry.

And he’ll be right whenever it is he penalizes players who participated. For whatever reason, it’s difficult for some to grasp the concept that intent is as sordid as execution in this case, that citing the lack of players knocked out and carted off and the absence of personal foul penalties doesn’t override the fact that it’s illegal to have in place the program, regardless of the result, period.

But it’s about time for “soon” to be “now” in terms of the punishment deadline. This cloud has been hanging over the Saints long enough.

There won’t be a day when suspensions and fines are announced that players immediately won’t appeal. There might be more evidence forthcoming but, likely, the talkers have talked and have nothing more to say.

Get on with it commissioner, so everyone else can, too.

New Orleans Saints fourth round draft pick Nick Toon talked to the press after his selection.

Here is a transcript from the Q&A session:

Q: Can you talk about growing up with your father and learning from him?

A: “Obviously, my dad was a great football player and a great resource of mine growing up. He has been a great sounding board for me throughout my career and my entire life. He has been a great blueprint (for me) as a football player. He is just a good person and a good leader.”

Q: Is there anything better, in your eyes, than coming to the Saints and playing with Drew Brees?

A: “Not at all. Drew Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I am looking forward to going out there and catching passes from him and helping the Saints in any way that I can.”

Q: Did they talk to you about losing Robert Meachem in Free Agency?

A: “No, they did not.”

Q: Did you have any idea this was coming? Did you think this was a team you could land at?

A: “Coming in to this process, you really don’t have a great idea of what is going to happen. I am looking forward to coming down there and helping the Saints out. I am just really excited to be a part of the organization.”

Q: Can you tell us about your meeting with Sean Payton at the combine?

A: “Most of the meetings are very similar. We came in, watched a bit of film, talked about my family background, and talked about my career at Wisconsin. You only get fifteen minutes so it wasn’t too in-depth. It was a good meeting, I thought it went well. Obviously, they thought the same thing.”

Q: How well does Henry Ellard know your father?

A: “I know that they do know each other and have crossed paths in the past. I don’t know him very well but I am looking forward to getting to know him better and working with him.”

Q: Are you with your dad today?

A: “I am. I am at home in Madison right now.

Q: What was his reaction?

A: “Everybody was excited. My whole family. I have some close friends here. Everyone was very excited. Everyone is looking forward to cheering for myself and the New Orleans Saints.”

Q: Do you feel like you have any durability issues?

A: “No. I don’t. I had a couple of unfortunate injuries in college. The past is the past. I am 100% healthy now. I am looking forward to moving forward and contributing on the field this year.”

Q: What was your major at Wisconsin?

A: “Community Leadership and Non-Profit Management.”

Q: Do you feel like you have landed in a good city for that?

A: “Definitely. I am looking forward to getting down and contributing and helping out the community in any way that I can.”

Q: Can you give us a player that you model yourself after?

A: “Larry Fitzgerald is obviously a good player. I think a lot of people look up to him. One of the things that I really pride in my game is catching the ball and being consistent catching the ball. He is one of the best, if not the best, in the league at catching the ball and being consistent doing that. He has definitely been a role model of mine and someone I have looked up to for many years.”

Q: What do you think about being compared to Marques Colston?

A: “It is funny that you mention that because last year, before the season, Paul Chryst, my offensive coordinator, I was watching some film with him and he thought that was a player I was most alike in the league. I don’t think that comparison is too far off.”

Q: Did it take a lot of courage to follow your father’s footsteps at Wisconsin?

A: “My dad was a great football player. I don’t think anyone would debate that. To go to the same school and play the same position, I think is a challenge. At the same time, I think that the expectations of that challenge follow you to anywhere you are playing football. Maybe the pressure, or whatever you want to call it, was greater at the University of Wisconsin. I had a great time there. I enjoyed my time at Wisconsin. I would do it again if I had to make the decision all over again.”

Q: Have you met Drew Brees?

A: “I have not.”

Q: What excites you about playing with a quarterback like him?

A: “…He is a pro-bowl caliber player. He is one of the premier passers in the league… He is a great person on and off the field.”

The New Orleans Saints selected Samford defensive back Corey White at pick No. 162.

This was the Saints third pick in this year’s draft, they took defensive lineman Akiem Hicks in the third round and wide receiver Nick Toon in the fourth.

White is listed at 5-feet-11, 206 pounds. He ran a 4.40 at his pro day.

He had 58 tackles, four interceptions and five breakups last season.

As a junior, he had 31 tackles and one interception.

He played cornerback in college and is projected to be a safety for the Saints.

The new guy is always exciting, so the Who Dat Nation will certainly be abuzz today about the potential of defensive tackle Akiem Hicks from the obscure University of Regina Ñ the guy the Saints finally selected with their first draft choice this year, at No. 89 overall.

But perhaps the player Saints fans should be even more excited about in 2012 is last year’s No. 88 overall pick — cornerback Johnny Patrick.

After barely registering on the radar as a rookie, Patrick is suddenly poised to play a major role as a sophomore.

The Saints let veteran cornerbacks Tracy Porter and Leigh Torrence get away in free agency in large part because they have faith in the potential of Patrick, who is tentatively penciled in as the team’s nickel cornerback right now.

Interim head coach Joe Vitt, asked in a predraft interview about cornerback potentially being one of the team’s biggest needs this year, quickly pointed out that the team is excited about Patrick.

And veteran corner Jabari Greer said he “definitely” believes that Patrick’s growth last year helped the Saints’ front office and coaching staff feel better about losing Porter and Torrence.

“The coaches are even speaking to him in meetings this year. That’s a good sign. That’s better than when they’re just talking around you,” Greer cracked. “He didn’t get a lot of opportunities early last season. But at the end of the year he made some big hits and some big plays, and really showed what an asset he can be. He raised a lot of eyebrows and caught a lot of the veterans’ attention.

“We’re seeing that same growth we saw with Patrick (Robinson) from Year 1 to Year 2.”

Greer was particular impressed by a big hit Patrick made on Carolina Panthers super-sized superstar quarterback Cam Newton in the open field on a third-down scramble in Week 17.

Patrick’s personal highlight, and his best overall performance, came a week earlier in Week 16, when he had five tackles against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.

Patrick ended the season with just eight tackles and appeared in just nine games, mostly on special teams. But he said he was always confident and always ready to be the “next man up,” just as he is now.

“I believe (the coaches) have confidence in me, and they showed that at the end of last year. I feel good about that,” Patrick said. “But I felt the same way last year, that I could come in here and contribute.”

In fact, Patrick said, “I’m a little upset that Tracy and Leigh are gone, to be honest with you. We had a bond in that group. And I always want to compete against the best.”

That’s the kind of attitude that veteran teammates like Greer appreciate.

Greer said he can see Patrick studying hard and appearing primed to take more on his shoulders.

Greer, who turned 30 this year, said Patrick is the “leading culprit” when it comes to making “old man jokes” about him when the players get together.

“I know he’s good for about three or four of them every day,” Greer said.

Another trait Greer likes about Patrick is his physical nature, even though he doesn’t have overwhelming size (5-11, 191 pounds).

“Losing guys like Leigh and Tracy, especially a guy like Leigh, he brings that attitude that he’s not afraid to get physical for a smaller guy,” Greer said. “He’ll tackle well. I tell him to be careful. If he keeps on tackling like that, (strong safety) Roman Harper might be in trouble.”

Patrick, meanwhile, is equally proud of his quickness.

The former first-team All-Big East selection from Louisville, who had seven interceptions in his final two college seasons, considers his quickness as his top trait.

“I used to be a receiver,” Patrick said, which he said also helps his mental game. “just knowing how different guys release off the ball, what they’re thinking.”

So with all due respect to Hicks, who could indeed be a breakout addition at the defensive tackle spot this season, history has reminded us time and again not to expect too much too soon from mid-round picks.

Even the Saints’ all-time great third-round picks, Jimmy Graham and Pat Swilling, took a little time to develop.

Heading into this year’s third-round pick, a lot of Saints fans and draft analysts alike were rating the cornerback position as one of the Saints’ biggest needs.

Maybe they forgot that the draft often works on a time delay.

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.

The New Orleans Saints will be sidelined until the 89th pick of this year’s draft, having traded away their first-round pick for Mark Ingram last year and having lost their second-rounder as part of the NFL’s bounty penalties. If any team can overcome that deficiency, though, it’s the Saints.

No team in the league has hit more home runs in Rounds 3 through 7 in the past six years than the Saints. If the NFL really wanted to punish them, maybe they should have taken away their later picks, instead of two second-rounders.

They’re the only team in the NFL to land four Pro Bowl players in those rounds over that span — guard Jahri Evans in the fourth round in 2006, offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod in the fourth in 2007, guard Carl Nicks in the fifth in 2008 and tight end Jimmy Graham in the third in 2010.

And that doesn’t include one of the all-time great draft steals, receiver Marques Colston in the seventh round in 2006. Or seventh-round offensive tackle Zach Strief in ’06. Or fifth-round punter Thomas Morstead in 2009.

“They certainly have made the most of the latter rounds of the draft lately,” said Andrew Brandt, a former front office executive for the Green Bay Packers who analyzes the league for the National Football Post and ESPN.

“The top two rounds are the sizzle, these rounds are the steak,” Brandt continued. “These players comprise the infrastructure of the team. The teams that do best in this area of drafting tend to be the most successful, having good young inexpensive talent filling key roles on the squad.”

Charley Casserly, a former NFL general manager who works as an analyst for the NFL Network and CBS, agreed. And he said there is “no question” that to be successful with those later picks, it takes both good scouting and good player development by the coaching staff.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis pointed to the same combination.

“First of all, that’s a credit to our college scouting staff,” Loomis said of a staff led by Rick Reiprish, one of the league’s most respected personnel evaluators. “They’ve done a great job of zeroing in on the kind of players our coaches are looking for. And it’s a credit to the coaches that they go by what they see on the field, not just how the player got here.

“It’s a credit to both. That’s the recipe for success for a late-round pick.”

It’s also a testament to the Saints’ firm belief in the “best available player” theory that so many NFL teams preach, but not all of them practice so rigidly.

The Saints’ philosophy is that players will take time to develop, especially later in the draft. So they try not to cloud their judgment with thoughts of immediate needs.

That’s why Loomis said the Saints weren’t upset by the fact that the NFL still hasn’t announced any of New Orleans’ expected player suspensions for the 2012 season.

“I didn’t push for it, and I really don’t think it’s relevant to how we draft,” Loomis said. “We’re going to draft the best players for us, and I don’t want to be clouded by a short-term impact of a penalty and make a bad decision.”

Colston is the classic example of everything coming together for a late-round pick.

The Saints didn’t necessarily need a receiver, especially since they had just taken another one, Mike Hass, in the sixth round that year. And Colston hardly made a dazzling first impression. He was out of shape and out of sync at his first rookie minicamp.

First-year coach Sean Payton and his staff didn’t hold any of that against him, though. They went by what they saw on the field in training camp and preseason games, which was a player who could make a big impact. So they traded away former first-round pick Donte’ Stallworth, in part to make room for Colston in the starting lineup.

That same summer, Evans earned a starting job despite coming from small school Bloomsburg. Nicks grabbed a permanent hold on a starting job during his rookie season after filling in for suspended starter Jamar Nesbit. Bushrod took longer to develop, but the Saints didn’t hesitate to let him run with the job when he was a late-summer injury replacement for another Pro Bowl player, Jammal Brown, in 2009.

And Graham — well, any coaching staff would have been blind not to see his potential, starting with his first summer practices.

Thank goodness for the Saints that Graham was considered a “project” after playing just one year of football at Miami following a four-year basketball career. Otherwise, they’d never have had a shot at him in Round 1, much less Round 3.

And let’s be fair. That’s a big part of the formula, too. You’ve got to get lucky sometimes.

Loomis admitted that the Saints also have had plenty of swings and misses in the middle and late rounds of the draft.

In fact, Loomis said, “Most of the guys I think about are the ones we didn’t hit on. … ‘What didn’t we see?’ “

The Saints hit a rough patch in the fourth round for a few years — tailback Antonio Pittman, safety Chip Vaughn, linebacker Stanley Arnoux, defensive tackle Al Woods. They used a sixth-round pick on a kicker who didn’t pan out in 2008, Taylor Mehlhaff.

And a few guys had more success in other places after the Saints let them go, like Rob Ninkovich, Andy Alleman and David Jones.

So Loomis isn’t about to make any guarantees about this year’s draft class. But he is deservedly optimistic.

He even spun positive on the missing first- and second-round picks, suggesting that will make the Saints even “more focused” on the picks they do have, because this time they “have to do a good job with those mid-round and late-round picks.”

If anyone can pull it off, recent history says it’s the Saints.

NFL Draft 2012

When events like your schedule release and draft become major events, you know your sport is popular. NFL fans all over the world will be tuning in tonight to see how their teams’ futures will be shaped. In all likelihood, the weakest ratings of any NFL city will probably come from New Orleans.

New Orleans Saints

As fans in the Big Easy know, the New Orleans Saints traded their first round 2012 NFL Draft pick to the New England Patriots for their 2011 first round pick. New Orleans used that first round draft pick to select Heisman winning RB Mark Ingram out of Alabama.

As everyone under the sun knows, the New Orleans Saints lost their second round 2012 NFL Draft pick to Roger Goodell. The loss of the 2012 second round pick was part of the Saints’ bounty punishments handed down by the NFL. Therefore, most fans in New Orleans are rather ambivalent about the first two rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Moving up?

I’ll be watching the 2012 NFL Draft because Saints GM Mickey Loomis is a wizard. Loomis is a salary cap genius and despite the bounty penalties has made a number of outstanding 2012 free agent signings. Plus, in the wake of the eavesdropping nonsense, I wouldn’t put it past Loomis to have a surprise up his sleeve for the 2012 NFL Draft.

Besides the aforementioned Ingram move, the Saints once moved up in the NFL Draft to select Ricky Williams. I’m certainly not proposing New Orleans trade away all its picks in the 2012 NFL Draft to move up. I’m just saying Mickey Loomis may be looking to make a statement in tonight’s draft about the Saints playing to win in 2012.

Personal reflection

As a diehard, unapologetic Saints fan, I would love to see New Orleans end up getting a first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft for one simple reason. I know how much it would aggravate all the Saints haters!

I remember reading the vitriol about Bill Parcells possibly becoming the New Orleans Saints head coach in 2012. People were mad that New Orleans would be replacing Sean Payton with a future Hall of Famer. Roger Goodell had to make a statement that the New Orleans Saints had the right to hire Parcells.

I would certainly have a very entertaining Thursday evening reading all the angry comments on the Internet if the Saints ended up with a first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft after all. The rest of the NFL is going to have to face this simple fact whether they like it or not.

The 2012 New Orleans Saints have the best chance of playing in a Super Bowl in their hometown of any NFL team in history.

Patrick Michael lives in New Orleans and has always been a big fan of the New Orleans Saints. Patrick’s favorite Saints season was 2009 when New Orleans won Super Bowl 44.

Source

“2012 NFL Draft,” yahoo.com

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(CNN) — The general manager for the New Orleans Saints said Thursday he has never listened in on an opposing team’s communications, or asked to have the capability.

Allegations that he had the ability to eavesdrop on coaches for nearly three seasons were not true, Mickey Loomis told reporters. “I have a clear conscience.”

“In my 29 years in the NFL, I have never listened to an opposing team’s communications,” Loomis said. “I have never asked for the capability to listen to an opposing team’s communications. I have never inquired as to the possibility of listening in on an opposing team’s communications. And I have never been aware of any capability to listen in on an opposing team’s communications at the Superdome or any NFL stadium.”

Louisiana State Police have joined the FBI in looking into the matter. “All we have now are allegations of illegal use of wiretapping and eavesdropping,” state police Superintendent Mike Edmonson said earlier this week.

Loomis said he did not know who made the eavesdropping claim. “I’m angry about it,” he said.

ESPN reported this week that the Saints general manager had a device in his Superdome suite that was wired to allow him to hear members of the opposing coaching staff from 2002 to 2004.

The stadium suffered severe damage in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina ripped through the city.

Citing anonymous sources, the report said it could not determine for certain whether Loomis ever used the system.

On Monday, Saints spokesman Greg Bensel called the report “1,000% false — completely inaccurate.”

“We asked ESPN to provide us evidence to support their allegations, and they refused. The team and Mickey are seeking all legal recourse regarding these false allegations,” he said.

Jim Haslett, former Saints coach and current defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins, similarly cast doubt on the ESPN report.

“At no time during my tenure as head coach with the New Orleans Saints did Mickey and I discuss monitoring opposing team coach’s communication, nor did I have any knowledge of this. To my knowledge this concept was never discussed or utilized,” he said in a statement.

The statute of limitations for wiretapping crimes is typically five years, according to CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin.

When asked how that fact might figure into the investigation, Edmonson said, “Let’s find out that if the allegations are factual and if state law has been compromised first. Then it will be up to the U.S. attorney or district attorney to review the matter.”

A spokesman for the National Football League said Monday that the league had no prior knowledge of the wiretapping accusations, which come on the heels of another Saints scandal.

This month, the NFL upheld penalties it imposed against the Saints and members of its coaching staff for the team’s bounty program.

The unprecedented punishment was handed down in March after an NFL investigation found that the team had an “active bounty program” during the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons. During this time, players were purportedly offered payments if they managed to hurt opposing players and knock them out of a game.

The stiffest penalty handed down — an indefinite ban — was given to Gregg Williams, the Saints defensive coordinator who, over the offseason, moved to take that same position with the St. Louis Rams. Head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012-13 season. Loomis was suspended without pay for the season’s first eight regular season games, while assistant head coach Joe Vitt was suspended without pay for the first six regular season games.

The team was also fined $500,000 and ordered to forfeit its second-round draft picks in 2012 and 2013, the NFL has said.

Loomis said Thursday the team respects the NFL’s decision on the bounty program

“It is our job to move forward. Player safety is a paramount issue for the league and the New Orleans Saints.”

CNN’s Rick Martin contributed to this report.

With their first pick in the 2012 draft, the New Olreans Saints select … tailback Mark Ingram from Alabama.

OK, that’s not exactly breaking news. But it’s worth a reminder, because Saints fans will feel so left out tonight while the rest of the NFL revels in its version of Christmas morning.

The Saints traded away their first-round pick last year, sending it along with their 2011 second-round pick to the New England Patriots to snag Ingram.

So was it worth it? The Saints certainly think so.

Although Ingram made only a modest impact as a rookie before ending the year on injured reserve with a toe injury, Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis is still high on the potential of the former Heisman Trophy winner.

“Everything we saw last year just makes us more excited about Mark Ingram,” Loomis said.

However, that trade may not have made sense for the Saints. But that’s mostly because running backs, in general, don’t appear to be worth premier draft picks in today’s NFL — especially not the way the Saints rotate them in and out of their versatile offense.

The Saints’ defense needs more young impact athletes, especially pass rushers, and those guys are harder to find later in the draft.

However, Ingram did show some impressive traits last year and can absolutely become an impact player.

And it was understandable why the Saints placed such an importance on the tailback position at this time last year, when they didn’t know about the health of Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory and didn’t know they’d be adding dynamic playmaker Darren Sproles in free agency.

The Saints have proven in a variety of ways how important it is to have depth at tailback, and their offense has been even more dynamic when it’s balanced by a running game. That was certainly the case last season, when they had the most prolific offense in NFL history.

Former NFL general manager Charley Casserly, who serves as an analyst for the NFL Network and CBS, said he never liked trading future picks. But he said the “logic was sound” when the Saints did it last year because they “traded for a guy who was worth the pick.”

“When they took him, it was where he should have gone,” Casserly said. “And looking at them, they knew their team certainly better than anybody else. Pierre Thomas was coming off injury. And the running game was important to them. They’re at their best when they run the ball. So I understand all those things completely.

“In hindsight, obviously, maybe they wouldn’t do it again, because he was injured. But I understood the concept at the time.”

Ingram is expected to be fully healthy in plenty of time for the 2012 season after having surgery to repair his toe in January.

He has been participating in conditioning drills at Saints camp the past two weeks, and interim coach Joe Vitt said he looked to be in “excellent” shape when he saw him.

“I talked to (trainer Scottie Patton) the other day,” said Vitt, who said he thinks Ingram will be “pretty close” to 100 percent by the start of on-field practices on the week of May 21. “He said his rehab is right on time. He’s in here every day. He’s chomping at the bit to go.

“If you ask him, I think he’d say yes. But Scottie is going to monitor that.”

Like most NFL players, Ingram should be even better in Year 2, now that he has a year of experience.

It’s pretty clear that he won’t be used as an “every-down” back, because the Saints are so loaded at the position. But the 5-foot-9, 215-pounder has the skill set to emerge as the leading man in the rotation.

“We would have no problem handing him the ball 20 times a game if we needed to,” said Loomis, who rattled off a list of the things the team likes about Ingram:

“His vision, his inside running ability, his versatility,” Loomis said. “All the things we thought we were going to get when we drafted him.”

Although Ingram doesn’t have breakaway speed or overwhelming power, he has a good combination of both. And he seems to have great feet and great instincts. He made a dazzling first impression on onlookers and his teammates during training camp last summer.

Ingram gave the Saints’ defensive players fits, sometimes zig-zagging through traffic, sometimes turning the corner with a burst and sometimes running over someone. He looked great in preseason games, as well.

Then he stalled a bit during the regular season, where he was solid but unspectacular during the first half of the year. He started to make his biggest impact around midseason (91 yards on 14 carries vs. the Colts; 80 yards on 13 carries vs. the Giants) before a nasty case of turf toe ended his season after Week 13.

Ingram actually wound up leading the Saints in carries (122), despite missing six games with heel and toe injuries. He only finished third on the team with 474 rushing yards, though, while averaging 3.9 yards per carry. That was partly because he was in on so many short-yardage situations, and partly because Sproles, Thomas and Ivory had more dynamic runs.

Sure, Ingram said last month, he set high goals for himself and would have preferred more of a breakout rookie year. But he never complained about sharing the workload and insisted he’s eager to fit in wherever the team needs him — which is no small thing for such a former high-profile college star.

There’s plenty to like about Ingram. And plenty of reasons to expect big things from him in the future.

So while the Saints may have sapped some of the suspense from this year’s draft, they’ve still got a chance to wind up with one of the best picks.

•••••••

Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.

The New Orleans Saints will enter tonight’s NFL draft uncertain of any penalties that may be issued against several members of their defense in relation to the NFL’s bounty investigation. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters at a pre-draft event in New York that no Saints player discipline announcement is coming this week.

The confirmation that Goodell will hold off on levying punishment against Saints players involved in the pay-for-performance bounty scandal leaves the Saints in a bit of limbo as they decide which players to add to the roster during the draft. The team’s first selection will be Friday.

Earlier this week, Goodell said, “I hope to reach those decisions very soon.” But on Wednesday, he said the league is still doing interviews regarding player punishments, adding that the investigation is in its final stages.

The decision won’t come until next week at the earliest, although NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Wednesday no timetable has been determined.

The NFL has said between 22 and 27 players participated in the bounty system, which was largely financed by players and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. The league says it paid Saints defenders a bonus to injure opposing players.

Coach Sean Payton, General Manager Mickey Loomis and assistant head coach Joe Vitt have been suspended for their role in the program and cover-up.

Payton has been banned for the season, Loomis is out for eight games and Vitt is out for six games. The team was fined $500,000 fine and forfeited second-round draft picks in each of the next two drafts.

Williams, who left the Saints after the season for a job with the St. Louis Rams, has been suspended indefinitely.

The Saints traded away this year’s first-round pick to New England last year to move up and select running back Mark Ingram, and they forfeited their second-round pick because of the bounty scandal. Despite that, and the uncertainty of possible player suspensions, Vitt, the Saints’ interim coach, said Tuesday that the organization is approaching the draft just as it has every other season.

This will be the first time the Saints will enter the draft without a pick in the first or second round.

“You’re dealing with hypotheticals,” Vitt said. “We’re dealing with it as if we have everybody. We can’t do it any other way. Our work ethic has been the same, our preparation has been the same, and we know the kind of players we want to bring in here.”

Meanwhile, Goodell told reporters on Wednesday that the league will take a wait-and-see approach to the latest accusations to engulf the Saints.

Loomis is being investigated by the FBI and Louisiana State Police for allegedly wiretapping the opposing team coaches’ box from 2002 to 2004. An anonymously sourced ESPN report Monday said Loomis had the opposing coaching box at the Superdome wired so he could eavesdrop on their communications during games.

Loomis and the Saints have vigorously denied any such activities. Still, it appears Goodell will follow the investigations closely.

“The federal authorities are looking into it,” Goodell said. “We’ll wait and see if any credible information comes from that. At that point in time, we could take appropriate action.”

••••••••

Nakia Hogan can be reached at nhogan@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3405.

The New Orleans Saints denied an anonymously sourced ESPN report on Monday which alleges that general manager Mickey Loomis’ booth in the Superdome was wired so he could listen to opposing coaches’ radio communications during games.

ESPN could not determine if the system was ever used. The report on Monday’s “Outside the Lines” said Loomis would have been able to eavesdrop on opponents from 2002 to 2004. The report also said the system was disabled in 2005, when the Superdome was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel called the report “1,000 percent false.”

“We asked ESPN to provide us evidence to support their allegations and they refused,” Bensel said. “The team and Mickey are seeking all legal recourse regarding these false allegations.”

Loomis explained his use of an earpiece and described his game-day setup in the Superdome booth in an emailed statement.

“I have a monitor in front of me in my booth that provides the league issued stats for the game,” Loomis stated. “I have a small TV with the network broadcast and I have an earpiece to listen to the WWL-AM radio game broadcast.

“To think I am sitting in there listening and actually … doing something with the offensive and defensive play calls of the opposing teams makes this story and the unnamed sources that provided the false information that much more less credible,” Loomis’ statement continued. “It just didn’t happen.”

Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett was the Saints’ head coach from 2000 through 2005. In a comment the Saints forwarded to the AP by email, Haslett denied knowledge of any system that would have allowed for eavesdropping on opponents.

“At no time during my tenure as head coach with the New Orleans Saints did Mickey and I discuss monitoring opposing team coaches communication, nor did I have any knowledge of this,” Haslett said. “To my knowledge this concept was never discussed or utilized.”

If the Saints had installed a system allowing them to listen in on their opponents it would have violated NFL rules and also could have infringed on federal wire-tapping laws.

“We were not aware of it,” league spokesman Greg Aiello said. “We have no knowledge of the allegations.”

FBI spokeswoman Sheila Thorne said the agency’s New Orleans office was aware of the situation, but wouldn’t comment further.

U.S. Attorney Jim Letten in New Orleans also said his office had been told about “general allegations” involving the Saints and possible wiretapping, but he did not elaborate. Letten declined to discuss who made the allegations, and whether they involved Loomis or any other Saints officials.

For the Saints, the report in itself added to a slew of recent bad publicity, which began in early March when the NFL released a report describing a crunch-for-cash bounty system that provided improper cash bonuses to defensive players who delivered hits that hobbled targeted opponents.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has suspended head coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season in connection with the bounty probe. Loomis was suspended for the first half of the regular season and assistant head coach Joe Vitt was suspended six games.

The team also lost its second-round pick in this week’s NFL draft and was fined $500,000. Goodell took away the Saints’ second-round pick in 2013 as well, but has said he may lessen that punishment if he is satisfied with the club’s cooperation in the ongoing investigation.

The NFL still has yet to hand down punishment to between 22 and 27 current and former Saints defensive players whom the league has said participated in the bounty program.

New Orleans Saints

I think the NFL has put a bounty out on the New Orleans Saints. As the Saints‘ player penalties in the bounty scandal continue to be stalled due to the NFL’s reluctance to show the players’ union its evidence, two damaging stories have been leaked to the press.

First, audio of Gregg Williams‘ fiery speech prior to the San Francisco 49ers playoff game was given to the media. Then, ESPN reported that Mickey Loomis had a device installed in his Superdome suite allowing him to listen in on opposing coaches from 2002-04.

Piling on the Saints is now the official hobby of 95% of NFL fans and media living outside of New Orleans.

Mickey Loomis

I’m sure most people think I’m just another biased Saints fan. However, when the Saints bounty story first broke in New Orleans, I said Tom Benson should consider firing Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton so the franchise could move forward. I also support all aspects of the Saints’ bounty punishments except the length of Payton’s suspension.

If these allegations are true, not only will Mickey Loomis need a new career, but he will also be dealing with federal charges. However, Loomis has denied the allegations. Also, ESPN admits that its source only claims the device existed, not that Mickey Loomis ever used it during a Saints game.

Just like with the bounty scandal, New Orleans Saints fans just want to see the evidence. Although the bounty program existed in New Orleans, the Saints ranked near the bottom of the NFL in penalties from 2009-11. There were also very few fines resulting from hard hits.

If true, you’d think the Mickey Loomis wire-tap would have given New Orleans a clear advantage in the Superdome, right? Think again. From 2002-04, the Saints were 12-12 in New Orleans. During that time, they were 13-11 on the road!

I also feel it is becoming trendy to bash New Orleans. Disgruntled former employees and those once associated with the Saints are looking for 15 minutes of fame by levying accusations at New Orleans. Media outlets must be very sure of their evidence and the credibility of their sources.

Reportedly, U.S. District Attorney Jim Letten has been notified of the allegations against Mickey Loomis. If the charges against Loomis are true, Letten will get to the bottom of it. What we need right now in New Orleans is a professional investigation, not a witch hunt.

Patrick Michael lives in New Orleans and has always been a big fan of the New Orleans Saints. Patrick’s favorite Saints season was 2009 when New Orleans won Super Bowl 44.

Sources

“Saints deny ESPN report alleging eavesdropping,” yahoo.com

ESPN broadcast of NFL Live

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