HOLE OPENS FOR TUNA
Payton appeal denied, Saints need a coach
NOW THAT Sean Payton’s appeal of his one-season Bountygate suspension has been rejected by Roger Goodell, it clears the way for Bill Parcells to step in and coach the Saints for the 2012 season.
The issue is whether Parcells wants to coach again and the Saints want Parcells to be the substitute teacher. “Do not know answer to either question,” Parcells said in a text message to the Daily News on Monday.
There have been strong indications Parcells will pinch-hit for his buddy Payton this season. But as Parcells’ nomadic history suggests, you never know until he signs the contract. At the time Goodell’s ruling was announced Monday, Parcells said he had “not spoken to anyone from the Saints in over six days. Know absolutely nothing.”
Parcells developed a father-son relationship with Payton during the three seasons Payton coached on his staff in Dallas. They have remained close friends and Parcells feels an obligation to help him out. Payton’s suspension was supposed to start April 1. The appeal bought him two extra weeks to set things up for the Saints this season — Goodell ruled the suspension will now start next Monday. It’s expected the Saints will make their head coaching decision before Payton is banned from the team facility.
Parcells and Payton played golf two weeks ago in Florida along with Saints GM Mickey Loomis, whose eight-game suspension was upheld by Goodell as was assistant head coach Joe Vitt’s six-game suspension. Goodell heard separate appeals last Thursday at his Park Avenue office and not surprisingly didn’t reduce any of the penalties he initially handed out.
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was hired by the Rams after the season, was suspended indefinitely and did not appeal. He was the administrator and occasional financial contributor to the threeyear bounty program, which paid players for hits that knocked opposing players out of games.
Parcells, who was preparing Monday for the draft show he does for ESPN, could become the first coach to take three different teams to the Super Bowl if he steps in for Payton. New Orleans goes into the 2012 season as one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl, which will be played at the Superdome. There’s also a possibility Parcells could join the Saints as an adviser or consultant for the 2012 season and the Saints could promote an assistant coach to take over for Payton. The in-house candidates are offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr., defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.
If the Saints want to hire Parcells, they first have to comply with the Rooney Rule and interview a minority candidate. If they promote from within, they would not have to comply with the Rooney Rule.
An explosive audio tape released last week of Williams’ defensive meeting the night before the Saints lost to the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs in January likely sabotaged the slim chance Goodell would grant leniency to Payton. Williams encouraged the Saints to injure several 49er offensive players.
Payton was not accused of being directly involved in the bounty program, but as the head coach, he was held responsible. He was held liable for not stopping the bounties once he was informed in early 2010 that the league was investigating. He was not forthcoming in initial meetings with the NFL and that was held against him.
“The club and the individuals will be expected to cooperate in any further proceedings and to assist in the development and implementation of programs to instruct play- ers and coaches at all levels on principles of player safety, fair play, and sportsmanship,” the NFL said in a statement.
Goodell will review the status of Payton, Loomis and Vitt at the conclusion of their suspensions to determine their eligibility for reinstatement. If Payton follows the league’s guidelines, Goodell could reduce his financial penalty by ending his suspension the day after the Super Bowl, costing him about $6 million in salary. But if Payton is not cooperative, Goodell could extend the suspension deep into the 2013 offseason, costing him even more money. Coaches are paid on a year-round basis.
Goodell took away the Saints’ second-round pick later this month and in the 2013 draft. If the Saints, who were also fined $500,000, cooperate with the league and have a bad season, the league could reinstate next year’s second-round pick and instead take away third- and sixth-round picks or fourth- and fifth-round picks. Either way, they will be penalized in next year’s draft. The next decision for Goodell is how to penalize the 22-27 defensive players who took part in the bounty program. That decision will likely come some time before the April 26 draft.