NFL cautiously optimistic upcoming 2020 season will play out on schedule
Fox NFL analyst and former NFL player Mark Schlereth weighs in on the upcoming football season.
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton ripped the NFL over the “Bountygate” scandal as he was asked Thursday to comment on James Harrison’s suggestion that he received payment from Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin for a violent hit that knocked out a wide receiver in 2010 against the Cleveland Browns.
Harrison said on Barstool Sports' "Going Deep" podcast on Thursday that Tomlin “handed me an envelope” after knocking out wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi which resulted in a $75,000 fine.
JAMES HARRISON SAYS STEELERS HEAD COACH MIKE TOMLIN HANDED HIM AN ENVELOPE AFTER VIOLENT HIT IN 2010
Payton was asked about the allegation and said in an interview on 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore that he would be “shocked” if there was a thorough investigation or some kind of punishment similar to the Saints’ own scandal in which the coach was suspended for a season. The scandal, known as "Bountygate," was an operation in the organization in which players allegedly received payment for injuring opponents.
“If people are waiting on the league to investigate that, they shouldn’t hold their breath,” Payton said. “I think what took place with us back in 2011 in so many ways was a sham, and yet there wasn’t a lot that we could do with it. The players were vindicated, but from a league or coaching standpoint, there's no union, there's no representation. But I would be shocked, that'll be something that gets tucked away or under the rug at Park Avenue. They'll look into it briefly.”
He said his loss of a year’s salary is “something I’ll never truly get over.”
“Because I know how it was handled and how it was run and the reasons behind it,” Payton said. “And that’s just the truth.”
In the wake of Harrison’s claim, Steelers president Art Rooney II released a statement.
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"I am very certain nothing like this ever happened," Rooney told Pro Football Talk. "I have no idea why James would make a comment like this, but there is simply no basis for believing anything like this."