Former New Orleans Saints Player Jeremy Shockey Accused Of Snitching In Bounty Scandal
March 22 2012, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
By Debbie Emery - RadarOnline.com Reporter
Proving that it's not only reality stars who have Twitter feuds, the claws came out in the NFL on Wednesday when former New Orleans Saints player Jeremy Shockey was accused of snitching on his teammates by spilling the beans on the controversial bounty program.
The finger of blame was pointed by former NFL defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who tweeted “Just Heard Who The Snitch Was,” and then “Bingo!” when asked if it was Shockey, who has adamantly denied turning on his team.
“It’s reckless, it’s careless, it’s hurtful to me and the great time I had with the Saints,” said free agent tight end Jeremy, who twice offered to take a polygraph test to prove his innocence, reported Yahoo! Sports.
“Sean Payton is a father figure to me. I would never do that to him or to the Saints. I have been to his son’s birthday parties. I’ve had my family around him. We’re friends,” explained Shockey, who scored the winning touchdown in the New Orleans’ Super Bowl victory over the Indianapolis Colts in 2009. “I loved my time in New Orleans and now people are killing me on social media thinking I did this.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, two years after he led his team to a spectacular Super Bowl win, Saints coach Sean Payton has been slapped with a 12-month suspension for his role in the bounty system scandal.
The harsh punishment resulted from an in-depth investigation by the NFL, which found that more than 20 defensive players for the Saints participated in a 'bounty' system from 2009 to 2011 that rewarded individuals with cash for harming opposing players. The cash pool reached $50,000 during the 2009 playoffs when players were paid $1,500 for a "knockout" and $1,000 for a "cart-off.”
The underhand and very public accusation by NFL Network analyst Sapp goes against the football league’s policy of not turning in sources, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has repeatedly said he would protect “whistleblowers” who reported violations of league policy.
As for Sapp, he is defending his actions, and his source. “My source that was close to the situation informed me that Jeremy Shockey is the one that was the snitch initially. I trust my source unequivocally,” he declared.
In addition to sacrificing their highly respected head coach for a year, the Saints will also lose their second round picks in the 2012 and 2013 NFL drafts and be fined $500,000, while former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely, and general manager Mickey Loomis is banned from the first eight regular-season games, reported ESPN.com.
RELATED STORIES:
New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton Gets One Year Suspension For Bounty Scandal
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Tim Tebow Love Triangle: Dianna Agron's Glee-ful Dilemma
Peyton Manning Signs $96 Million Deal With Denver Broncos, Where Will Tim Tebow Pray Next?
Thanks For The Tip Peyton! Waiter Fired After Posting Manning’s Receipt Online
