3 Mar 2012

Saints guilty of illegal bounties

1:00 pm on 3 March 2012

America's National Football League says New Orleans Saints players were involved in an illegal "bounty" system that rewarded individuals for injuring opponents.

The league says an investigation into the past three NFL seasons revealed between 22 and 27 Saints defensive players, as well as at least one assistant coach, maintained the program.

The NFL says the findings - corroborated by multiple independent sources - have been presented to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who will determine the appropriate discipline for the violation.

Discipline could include fines, suspensions and forfeiture of draft choices.

The former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who received a particularly heavy hit in his final NFL game, against the Saints, says he's not shocked by the news.