The Louisiana State Legislature has taken opposition to the substantial penalties brought down upon the New Orleans Saints by League Commissioner Roger Goodell.
On Monday, a vote passed by a margin of 28 to 1 in support of lodging an official complaint with Goodell regarding what the state feels are unjust penalties.
The formal resolution states that there is "widespread public opinion throughout the state of Louisiana and beyond that the penalties imposed upon the Saints are too harsh and should be reconsidered."
The "harsh" penalties include the suspensions of Head Coach Sean Payton, current Saints players, and players who have since departed for other teams.
Linebacker Johnathan Vilma, has vehemently denied the allegations that he was ever involved with the bounties as either an initiator or a contractor. Despite his claims on innocence, his punishment ranks among the more severe.
Vilma along with several other members of the Saints roster during the time of the investigation have endured suspensions, though none as long as Vilma's yearlong mandatory hiatus. Fellow current Saint Will Smith will miss the opening quarter of the season, while Scott Fujita of the Cleveland Browns received the lightest sentence and will only sit out three games.
While the loss of Vilma and Smith may prove costly, it will be hard to recover from the loss of Payton for the entire season. The head coach was the first to receive his penance and after attempting to lure Bill Parcells out of retirement, was forced to temporarily hand over his job to Interim Coach Joe Vitt.
Payton took over as Head Coach of the Saints franchise in January of 2006. Arriving immediately after a three win 2005 season, Payton and QB Drew Brees helped mold the Saints into legitimate contenders for the first time in their history. With the city of New Orleans still struggling to rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Payton became an instant leader in the community.
He eventually led the Saints to their first ever Super Bowl victory over Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
The signature moment of Payton's career thus far was his surprising and potentially disastrous decision to open the second half of Super Bowl XLIV with an onside kick. The Saints successfully recovered and went on to upset the Colts.
It is unlikely that the State of Louisiana will be successful in persuading Goodell to lighten the force of his blow. However, the state may be fearful that even one year of subpar football could lead to a slippery slope back to the days of losing seasons and disgruntled fans.
