Jonathan Vilma of the New Orleans Saints
With all the recent evidence that brain injuries from tackle football can lead to dementia or even suicide, the news that a group of New Orleans Saints players pooled their money to reward anyone who successfully inflicted injuries on opposing players was met with disdain. After a two-year investigation, the NFL reported that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams created the pay-for-pain program upon his arrival to the franchise in 2009 and that it involved at least two dozen players. According to the league, Williams and others paid players $1,500 for knockouts and $1,000 for “cart-offs.” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell responded by fining the Saints; suspending Williams, head coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis, assistant head coach Joe Vitt and four current and former Saints players; and forcing the team to forfeit its second- and third-round draft picks. But in September, an appeals panel overturned the suspensions of the players on a technicality: that Goodell could punish players only for “conduct detrimental” to the league (a new date for the appeals hearing has yet to be set). While it seems the Saints escaped the debacle relatively unscathed, their performance has suffered, with the team starting the season 0-4.