NFL Offseason 2012: Because contract negotiations are part of the excitement

[Neil]

Former Indy QB Curtis Painter has signed a 1-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

It could have been worse.  Apparently they worked out Boller.  Can you imagine?  If Flacco ever went down, the fans would have rioted.

Didn't he have another year on his contract with Oakland?

Painter wasn't a horrible QB, given the situation he was in.  He needs a damned haircut, but I think he'd be an okay backup.

I would imagine they cut him.  Really, if you don't trust him as an option, why would you keep him on the roster?

[derspiess]

I would imagine they cut him.  Really, if you don't trust him as an option, why would you keep him on the roster?

I guess.  I still can't believe they were paying him over a million if they had no intention to use him.  Why not just get some undrafted rookie you can pay the league minimum (unless there's a $1 million minimum for QBs I don't know about)

[CountDeMoney]

Former Indy QB Curtis Painter has signed a 1-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

It could have been worse.  Apparently they worked out Boller.  Can you imagine?  If Flacco ever went down, the fans would have rioted.

Didn't he have another year on his contract with Oakland?

Painter wasn't a horrible QB, given the situation he was in.  He needs a damned haircut, but I think he'd be an okay backup.

I would imagine they cut him.  Really, if you don't trust him as an option, why would you keep him on the roster?

At least here, he's able to work with his former head coach for the last 3 seasons.

[jimmy olsen]

Holy crap! If this is true the Saints will be crippled for years!

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/7846290/new-orleans-saints-mickey-loomis-eavesdrop-opposing-coaches-home-games

NEW ORLEANS -- The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana was told Friday that New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis had an electronic device in his Superdome suite that had been secretly re-wired to enable him to eavesdrop on visiting coaching staffs for nearly three NFL seasons, "Outside the Lines" has learned.

Sources familiar with Saints game-day operations told "Outside the Lines" that Loomis, who faces an eight-game suspension from the NFL for his role in the recent bounty scandal, had the ability to secretly listen for most of the 2002 season, his first as general manager of the Saints, and all of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The sources spoke with "Outside the Lines" under the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals from members of the Saints organization.

Jim Letten, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, acknowledged being told of the allegations Friday. Sources said he has briefed the FBI in New Orleans about Loomis' alleged activity. If proven, the allegations could be both a violation of NFL rules and potentially a federal crime, according to legal sources. The federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986 prohibits any person from intercepting communications from another person using an electronic or mechanical device.

"I can say that we were just made aware of that on Friday, at least of these allegations," Letten said. "Anything beyond that I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to comment."

Greg Bensel, Saints vice president of communications, said Monday afternoon on behalf of the Saints and Loomis: "This is 1,000 percent false. This is 1,000 percent inaccurate."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league was unaware of the allegations.

Sources told "Outside the Lines" the listening device was first installed in the general manager's suite in 2000, when Loomis' predecessor, Randy Mueller, served as Saints GM. At that time, according to sources, Mueller only had the ability to use the device to monitor the game-day communications of the Saints coaching staff, not the opposing coaches. Mueller, now a senior executive with the San Diego Chargers (he also was an ESPN.com NFL analyst from 2002-05), declined to comment when contacted by "Outside the Lines."

After the transition from Mueller to Loomis, the electronic device was re-wired to listen only to opposing coaches and could no longer be used to listen to any game-day communications between members of the Saints coaching staff, one source said.

"There was a switch, and the switch accessed offense and defense," said the source. "When Randy was there, it was the Saints offense or defense, and when Mickey was there it changed over so it was the visiting offense or defense," the source said.

"Outside the Lines" could not determine for certain whether Loomis ever made use of the electronic setup.

The sources said when Loomis took his seat during home games, then in the front row of box No. 4 in the 300 level of the Superdome's north side, he was able to plug an earpiece into a jack that was under the desk in front of him. The earpiece was not unlike those used to listen to inexpensive transistor radios, the sources said. With the earpiece in place, Loomis could then toggle back and forth with a switch that he controlled, enabling him to listen to either the game-day communications of the opposing offensive or defensive coaches.

Also underneath the desk in front of Loomis, said the sources, was a metal box that contained two belt packs similar to those worn around the waists of NFL head coaches during games. The packs powered the listening device available to Loomis, which was, according to sources, hard-wired to the audio feed of the opposing coaches.

The wiring setup was disabled sometime in September 2005 in the weeks after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast. The timing of the device's removal could prove significant for legal reasons. If Loomis used an electronic device to secretly listen to the opposing coaches without their consent, it would appear to be a violation of the federal ECPA statute, said Mike Emmick, a Los Angeles-based attorney.

Emmick worked for 25 years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, serving for eight years as chief of the public corruption and government fraud section.

"The ECPA bars any person from intentionally intercepting wire, oral or electronic communications by using an electronic or mechanical device," Emmick said. "The ECPA doesn't make it illegal just to eavesdrop. You have to have used a device ... Intentional interception by using the device is the key."

But the statute of limitations, the window federal prosecutors have to pursue any criminal charges against Loomis or the Saints, would only extend for five years after the date of such an offense, Emmick said.

If Loomis no longer had the ability to eavesdrop on opposing coaches after the 2004 season, he would be free from any potential criminal prosecution for a violation of the ECPA, Emmick said.

Loomis' alleged activity also would be a violation of Louisiana state law, according to Danny Onorato, a former assistant U.S. attorney now in private practice in Washington, D.C., where he specializes in white-collar crime. The statute of limitations for the law governing electronic eavesdropping in Louisiana is six years, Onorato said.

"A prosecutor or law enforcement should conduct a thorough investigation to make sure these are the facts. Did these individuals re-connect this device in some way?" Onorato said.

"At a minimum, somebody somewhere has a duty to investigate it to ensure the integrity of the game of football," he said.

Emmick said that it's possible Loomis and others could still be prosecuted for taking part in a conspiracy to cover up the federal ECPA violation. The statute of limitations for prosecution of a conspiracy is also five years, Emmick said, but that period would begin with the last "overt act" of the parties involved in a conspiracy.

In this case, any attempt to cover up the ECPA violation that extended into 2007 could constitute such an overt act and fall within the window of the statute of limitations, Emmick said.

Emmick and Onorato both said that any prosecution on the basis of a conspiracy to cover up an ECPA violation is unlikely. But there is another potentially far more costly aspect to Loomis' alleged behavior, according to Emmick and other legal sources contacted by ESPN.

"There's the potential for a lot of lawsuits filed by whoever was victimized by the electronic eavesdropping," Emmick said.

Under the civil laws that govern electronic eavesdropping, the victims of the eavesdropping would have two years from the time they had a "reasonable opportunity to discover the violation" in order to file lawsuits, Emmick said.

In other words, if an opposing team or individuals who were eavesdropped upon wanted to sue Loomis or the Saints, the clock would start ticking on their time frame to file a lawsuit when they discovered the alleged ECPA violation, not when the violation actually occurred.

Under Article No. 9 of the Constitution and Bylaws of the NFL, which lists "Prohibited Conduct," the league specifically bans the use of "...videotape machines, telephone tapping or bugging devices, or any other form of electronic device that might aid a team during the playing of a game."

"That would be a stupendous advantage if you had that," said Rick Venturi, who was the team's defensive coordinator during the period the sources said Loomis could eavesdrop on opposing coaches.

"That's shocking," Venturi said, when told of the allegations. "I can tell you if we did it, nobody told me about it. ... Nobody ever helped me during a game."

Venturi served in various capacities during a decade-long period with the Saints coaching staff, including a brief stint as interim head coach, and now hosts a radio program on an ESPN Radio affiliate in St. Louis.

Attempts to reach former Saints head coach Jim Haslett were not successful. Haslett served as the Saints head coach from 2000-05 and is now defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins. Sean Payton was named head coach of the Saints in 2006.

Rick Mueller, the brother of former Saints general manager Randy Mueller, was in the Saints front office from 2000-08 and was a regular in Loomis' booth during Saints home games.

"I sat right next to him most of the time," said Mueller, who now serves as a player personnel executive with the Philadelphia Eagles. Mueller said he vaguely recalled Loomis using an earpiece during games but he could not recall whether Loomis ever did so during the period in which sources allege Loomis had the ability to eavesdrop on opponents.

During Saints home games, Loomis typically sat in a seat next to the glass separating the Saints front office personnel from the Saints assistant coaches. When asked whether Loomis in any way signaled those Saints assistants on the other side of the glass during games, Mueller replied: "I didn't get any indication of that. ... There's no communication going on between Mickey and the coaches during a game I can tell you that. ... If it was just Mickey hearing it, I would see no way he could signal our coaches next door."

In 2002, the Saints compiled a 9-7 record. The team had an 8-8 record during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In those three seasons combined, the Saints were 12-12 in the Superdome.

The 2005 season remains the infamous one that the Saints never played a home game in the Superdome due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina. According to sources, that was also the first time Loomis would not have had the ability to listen in on the play calls of opposing teams. That year the Saints finished 3-13.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has an established a track record of issuing severe penalties when teams attempt to skirt those rules.

When it was discovered that the New England Patriots videotaped the New York Jets coaches' signals during a September 2007 game -- the so-called "Spygate" episode -- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 by the NFL, the maximum amount permitted under league rules.

The Patriots were also fined $250,000 by the NFL, and the team was forced to give up its first-round pick in 2008.

"This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field," Goodell wrote at the time in a letter to the Patriots.

Producer David Lubbers and production assistant Danielle DeSousa contributed to this report.

[ulmont]

Holy crap! If this is true the Saints will be crippled for years!

I think this one's bullshit, not least because the Saints totally sucked in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

[sbr]

Holy crap! If this is true the Saints will be crippled for years!

I think this one's bullshit, not least because the Saints totally sucked in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

The Saints were so bad before they got Brees that I wouldn't be surprised to see they couldn't cheat right back then either.

[CountDeMoney]

And yet, actual physical evidence against the New England Cheatriots was destroyed by the Commissioner.

[CountDeMoney]

MOTHERFUCKER WHY THE FUCK CANT I GET AWAY FROM THIS FUCKING FUCK

Hines Ward to join NBC's 'Football Night in America'

Hines Ward didn't stay retired for long. And, not suprisingly, the former football great's new career is in television.

Ward, one of the all-time most popular players for the Pittsburgh Steelers as well as a champion on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," is the newest analyst for NBC's "Football Night in America," the network announced Thursday.

In addition, he will serve as a studio analyst for college football and appear on "NBC SportsTalk" on NBC Sports Network.
"I am really excited. It's not everyday that you get the chance to work for a powerhouse like the NBC Sports Group," Ward said in a press release. "It is a big honor for me and I am looking forward to making the most of this great opportunity."

He apparently had a successful tryout when he joined the studio during this year's Super Bowl pregame broadcast on NBC. Soon after, he retired from football after being released by the Steelers, his only team during a 14-year career that included two Super Bowl championships, three Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl MVP and four Pro Bowl selections.

"We think Hines is a perfect match for television because he brings with him a unique combination of charisma and football experience, which he demonstrated on our Super Bowl pregame show from Indianapolis," said Sam Flood, executive producer for NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. "He's an opinionated personality who can draw upon his 14 years of experience, having excelled at the highest levels of the game. Just don't expect him to dance."

[CountDeMoney]

What did West Indian Archie teach Detroit Red?  MEMORIZE THE NUMBERS NEVER WRITE ANYTHING DOWN

NFL has ledger detailing Saints bounties

The NFL has a copy of a "ledger" that details week by week earnings of New Orleans Saints players involving the team's bounty system.

The ledger shows money paid for "cart-offs" and "whacks" and deductions for "mental errors," as well as pointing to players being told of their weekly performances, according to Yahoo! Sports.

Sources told Yahoo! Sports that the NFL showed portions of the ledger during meetings with some of those who have been investigated in the scandal.

"The players clearly knew what was going on each week with the payments," a source told Yahoo! Sports.

Sources also said that Saints defensive players would routinely encourage teammates to put money earned from the bounty system back into the pool. Those sorts of cash payments violate NFL rules.

NFL Players Association spokesman George Atallah wrote in a text massage to Yahoo!Sports that the league mentioned the ledger in a meeting with the union in April, but that the NFLPA had not seen the ledger yet.

"I guess it either qualifies as evidence, which means fair due process was violated because (the) players didn't get to see it before they were punished or it is not hard evidence because they didn't get to see it and cross examine the validity of that piece of evidence," Atallah wrote.

Also Friday, ESPN.com reported that filmmaker Sean Pamphilon said that he was encouraged by former New Orleans linebacker Scott Fujita and quarterback Drew Brees to release an audio recording of former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams telling players to hurt San Francisco 49ers players in a playoff game last season.

"Scott reassures me soon thereafter that Drew Brees agrees with the NFLPA lawyers that the audio should be released 'sooner the better,' " Pamphilon wrote on his website.

Pamphilon had access to the Saints last season as he worked on a documentary with former Saints special teams player Steve Gleason, who has been diagnosed with ALS.

He said he went public after the league announced it was investigating the Saints in March.

Williams has been suspended indefinitely, Saints coach Sean Payton and linebacker Jonathan Vilma for a year, former Saints defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (now with the Green Bay Packers) for eight games and defensive end Will Smith four games.

Fujita, now with the Cleveland Browns, has publicly denied that a bounty system exists. Vilma has also denied involvement and has filed a defamation lawsuit against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

[Neil]

Fucking Steeler-loving NBC.

At least we'll always know that his cheapshotting ass belongs to JJ.

[Neil]

What did West Indian Archie teach Detroit Red?  MEMORIZE THE NUMBERS NEVER WRITE ANYTHING DOWN

Wouldn't it make more sense to fine a few people and then destroy all the evidence?  Or are the Saints not one of the chosen teams?

[CountDeMoney]

Fucking Steeler-loving NBC.

At least we'll always know that his cheapshotting ass belongs to JJ.

[Strix]

They are not one of the chosen teams. They were the Katrina "feel good" moment for the NFL but that horse is dead now.

[Neil]

They are not one of the chosen teams. They were the Katrina "feel good" moment for the NFL but that horse is dead now.

Yeah, it was a rhetorical question.

[Neil]

Fucking Steeler-loving NBC.

At least we'll always know that his cheapshotting ass belongs to JJ.

Saved.

Man I love that team.