As the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal unfolds, public figures will continue to take sides with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell or with the players. As for Goodell’s side, he got a strong public endorsement from a member of Congress when Illinois Senator Richard Durbin decided to weigh in.
The Senator met with Goodell yesterday to discuss player safety in the NFL and also throughout youth football programs. It’s not uncommon at moments like this for some political posturing to take place, and Durbin is undoubtedly doing some of that here. His official statement on Goodell:
"Unlike many issues that come before us, this issue was discovered by the NFL. The investigation was initiated by the NFL. And the actions that were taken against coaches and players was taken by the NFL. There was no denial here…What I hear from them is a good-faith effort to acknowledge what happened and deal with it. The NFL has taken the issue of bounties in professional football seriously and has been open and willing to take additional steps to protect player safety and football’s integrity. They aggressively pursued the information they were given."
A full list of the action plan proposed by Goodell in the meeting can be found here.
Read more on the Saints Bounty Scandal at our StoryStream and be sure to check out the SB Nation NFL hub page for additional news and analysis.
