Saints Bounty scandal or is this just the logical extension of what is done at the high school and college level?

When I was in High School we were given stars for big plays. If those plays where on defense they were almost always for big punishing hits. They were always legal hits, but they were big. You made a big hit you got a star it was that simple. It was an effective incentive.

Now my college did not give out stickers to put on our helmets so that incentive program did not exist at Cornell, but it did and still does at other universities. Florida State gives out Tomahawks for great plays. OSU gives its players Buckeye stickers for outstanding performance. Georgia players get white dog bones for a good play on the field. Clemson players get a paw print sticker. Even Stanford players have participated in this practice.

Lets be very clears these stickers are given out for things like big hits. I did not believe they are ever given out for illegal hits. In fact, I believe most of these schools they will actually take stickers away from a player for an illegal hit. However, I do believe if you put a good legal hit on an opposing player that is worthy of getting a sticker, you will get that star regardless of whether that opposing player was injured or not.

To me what happened at the Saints is a logical extension of that system into the NFL. Did it get corrupted in the translation. Sure. I believe it got out of line because instead of rewarding good plays which includes big hits it rewarded big hits that resulted in injuries. However, I do not believe any of the Saints players were reward for big hits that resulted in injuries to other players that were illegal. If these same hits had occured on the field at OSU, FSU or countless high schools across the nation the players would have been rewarded for their play with a sticker.

Now me personally I wanted anyone I put a big hit on not to be injured. I felt it was better if they stayed in the game after the hit. I figured a good hit would make them afraid to come at me again because they knew I would knock them out again. If he was afraid of me before the ball was even snapped, I had already won the battle before the play even started.