Sean Payton is in the mix for a return to the NFL with some teams interested in interviewing him. With the recent interest in him, it’s worth taking a look back at one of his darkest moments.
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Sean Payton was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints for 15 years between 2006 and 2021. During that time, he took the Saints to the highest of highs in the NFL world.
The 2009-10 season will forever be memorable for Saints fans as Sean Payton and Drew Brees guided New Orleans to a 13-3 record and a strong playoff performance took them to the Super Bowl against Peyton Manning and the Colts.
It was in this Super Bowl that Sean Payton made one of the gutsiest decisions ever by an NFL head coach in a Super Bowl. Coming out of halftime, the Saints had to kick off to the Colts, but Payton elected to go for an onside kick that changed the complexion of the game.
Unfortunately, Sean Payton was also a part of perhaps the darkest time the New Orleans Saints franchise had to endure.
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What was Bountygate, and what did Sean Payton have to do with it?
Between 2009 and 2011, the New Orleans Saints were found to be running a program where players were rewarded for trying to intentionally hurt and injure opposing players, in the form of bounties or bonuses.
Quarterbacks like Kurt Warner and Brett Favre were targeted by the Bountygate scandal. The funding for the program was handled by defensive coordinator Greg Williams.
Sean Payton was also found guilty during the NFL’s investigation. The investigation found that Sean Payton not only knew about the program but also tried to cover it up.
Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Payton for the entire 2012 season. Payton didn’t go down without a fight and tried to appeal the suspension, but this appeal was denied, and in the end, Sean Payton had to forfeit $7.8 million of his $8.1 million salary.
The Saints organization was punished as a whole too. The team was fined $500,000, and they had to surrender their second-round picks for 2012 and 2013.
Overall, the reputation of the team was damaged for several years, but as time went on, the team built itself back and Payton was extended as the head coach for the team. It was a tumultuous time for the team and Payton, but they were able to bounce back from it.
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