NEW ORLEANS -- The bounty scandal is pretty much over, but details continue to emerge.
The Times-Picayune obtained a copy of New Orleans Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt’s testimony before appeals officer and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue in December and it contains some details that haven’t been reported before. Vitt testified that former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams offered rewards for players if they injured assistant coaches from other teams when making plays near the sideline.
But Vitt said players never followed through on that. Much of his testimony indicated Williams acted with a lot of bravado and players didn’t take what he said seriously.
“If our players went out and performed what came out of Gregg Williams' mouth, and it went from his lips to their ears, and then it went to the performance, we would have people in jail right now ma'am," Vitt said to an NFL attorney. "We would have people in jail right now."
Vitt’s testimony also called into question the credibility of former New Orleans assistant Mike Cerullo, who was one of the league’s witnesses. Vitt said coach Sean Payton once asked for police protection for his family while he was out of town because he considered Cerullo a threat.