NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre He was once the target of a bounty hunting scheme by the New Orleans Saints and they opened up 15 years later about that experience in a thread on Friday.
In 2009, the Saints offered their players cash incentives for injured players. Favre, quarterback Minnesota Vikings At the time, it was on that list.
The Vikings were considered the top hurdle in the NFC for the Saints to reach the Super Bowl that year.
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Brett Favre is helped from the field after being injured. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
The Saints beat Favre and the Vikings in NFC Championship Game That year, Extra Film 31-28. Favre was never hit, but he took a few tough plays and ended up throwing a costly interception in overtime.
Favre said he bore “no ill will” toward the Saints for the scandal and wished he had played better in the game.
“I played the game with the mentality of being ready for anything: big hits, injuries, players trying to stop my head. The loss made me want to work harder and fueled my drive to win next time,” Favre wrote.
“I have no offense to the rewards portal participants. After we lost to the Saints, I rooted for Drew Brees and Sean Payton to win the Super Bowl. Looking back 15 years later, my opinion hasn't changed.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre heads to the sideline after throwing a pass that was intercepted by the Chicago Bears' Julius Peppers at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on December 20, 2010. (Reuters/Eric Miller)
The Saints won the Super Bowl that year against the Indianapolis Colts.
But once the scandal was discovered, the Saints received some of the harshest penalties in NFL history. Former coach Sean Payton was suspended annually without pay.
Defensive coordinator Greg Williams, identified as the brains of the plan, was suspended indefinitely but later reinstated. Former general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for the first eight games of the 2012 season, and assistant head coach Joe Vitt was suspended for the first six games of that year.
Former Saints players Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma were all suspended for their roles.
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New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton looks at plays on the sideline. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)
The Saints also had to pay a $500,000 fine and lose their second-round picks in the 2012 and 2013 drafts
The team's poaching plan involved up to 27 players and at least one assistant coach, and the league found it difficult to investigate. Players even contributed to a cash pool.
Players were paid $1,500 for a “Knockout,” when a targeted player could not return to the game, and $1,000 for a “Cart-Off,” when a player had to be carried off the field.
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