NFL Bans New Orleans Saints' Sean Payton A Year For 'Bounties'; Gregg Williams Out, Too

NFL.com Wire Reports

The NFL handed down sweeping and unprecedented punishment Wednesday for bounties paid out on big hits, suspending New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton without pay for next season and indefinitely banning the team's former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, who now works for the St. Louis Rams.

Payton is the first head coach suspended by the league for any reason. He is accused of trying to cover up a system of extra cash payouts that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called "particularly unusual and egregious" and "totally unacceptable." MORE....

Commissioner Roger Goodell Says Pro Bowl Must Improve Or Face Chopping Block

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

NFL.com

With Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers already having decried the lack of effort by his Pro Bowl teammates, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called for the league's all-star game to be played at a higher level.

"We're either going to have to improve the quality of what we're doing in the Pro Bowl or consider other changes or even consider eliminating the game if that's the kind of quality game we're going to provide," Goodell said Sunday on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning," according to ESPN.com.

After acknowledging that "fans were actively booing in stands," Goodell implied that the game has to be less about rest and relaxation for the players and more about giving fans what they want. According to the website, Goodell said he has communicated his concerns to NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith. CONTINUE....