Saints Head Coach Payton Suspended

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton has been suspended by the NFL for one year.

The suspension begins April 1st and is a result of the NFL’s investigation into the Saints’ bounty program that occured during the 2009-2011 seasons.

NFL officials also handed down penalties to others involved with the scandal as Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for the first eight games of the regular season, assistant coach Joe Vitt was suspended for the first six games and fined $100,000, and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the St. Louis Rams, was suspended indefinitely.

The suspensions for Payton, Loomis, and Vitt are without pay.

The Saints were also fined $500,000 and forced to give up a second-round draft pick in the 2012 and 2013 NFL Drafts.

The NFL will determine any punishments for Saints players in the future as the situation is still under review with the NFL Players Association.