Commissioner Roger Goodell is confident that bounty hunting will no longer be an issue in the NFL because of the severe penalties handed out in the wake of the New Orleans Saints scandal.
Goodell said the actions taken by the league ''speak very loudly.''
''I heard that from our clubs, from our personnel,'' he said during a news conference in Chicago on Thursday. ''They recognize it's not part of the game. It doesn't need to be part of the game. And I don't think it's going to be an issue going forward.''
The NFL said it found that former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams oversaw a bounty program in New Orleans from 2009 to 2011 which paid off-the-books bonuses of $1,500 for ''knockouts,'' or hits which forced a player out of games, and $1,000 for ''cart-offs,'' which left players needing help off the field.
Williams, who took a job as the defensive coordinator in St. Louis, has since been suspended indefinitely and coach Sean Payton was banished for the 2012 season. General manager Mickey Loomis was suspended eight games and assistant head coach Joe Vitt for six games.
There was also a $500,000 fine for the team and the loss of two second-round draft picks, not to mention suspensions for several current and former Saints players.
Current Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the upcoming season, while defensive end Will Smith got a four-game punishment. Green Bay defensive end Anthony Hargrove (eight games) and Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita (three games) were also punished.
Goodell said the actions taken by the league ''speak very loudly.''
''I heard that from our clubs, from our personnel,'' he said during a news conference in Chicago on Thursday. ''They recognize it's not part of the game. It doesn't need to be part of the game. And I don't think it's going to be an issue going forward.''
The NFL said it found that former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams oversaw a bounty program in New Orleans from 2009 to 2011 which paid off-the-books bonuses of $1,500 for ''knockouts,'' or hits which forced a player out of games, and $1,000 for ''cart-offs,'' which left players needing help off the field.
Williams, who took a job as the defensive coordinator in St. Louis, has since been suspended indefinitely and coach Sean Payton was banished for the 2012 season. General manager Mickey Loomis was suspended eight games and assistant head coach Joe Vitt for six games.
There was also a $500,000 fine for the team and the loss of two second-round draft picks, not to mention suspensions for several current and former Saints players.
Current Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the upcoming season, while defensive end Will Smith got a four-game punishment. Green Bay defensive end Anthony Hargrove (eight games) and Cleveland linebacker Scott Fujita (three games) were also punished.