At least one person closely related to the Saints is claiming that no bounties were ever paid to defensive players for injuring opponents, at least during the 2011 season.
The Times-Pic is now reporting that Duke Naipohn, the chief executive of Sleep Pointe and a self-described "fatigue risk management specialist," never once saw or heard of money being paid in exchange for the intentional injuring of an opponent.
Here's the crux of the article and what you really need to know:
An unabashed admirer of Williams' essence and style, the consultant was granted unlimited access to defensive coaches' meetings, unit meetings, training rooms, the sideline and the locker room.
At no point in any of those settings, Naipohn told The Times-Picayune on Tuesday, was money paid for a play that injured an opponent. Indeed, such a scheme was never even discussed during 2011, and Naipohn argued its alleged core is not in keeping with what he called "the unmatched professionalism" he observed by the Saints' organization and players.
Obviously this isn't hard evidence that disproves the existence of a bounty system, nor does it say anything about the 2009 and 2011 seasons, but it certainly raises reasonable doubt. And the plot thickens...
What's your take on this?