NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre was once the target of a bounty hunting scheme by the New Orleans Saints, and 15 years later he opened up about the experience in an X Friday thread.
In 2009, the Saints offered cash incentives to players to hurt certain players. Favre, then-Minnesota Vikings quarterback, was on that list.
The Vikings were considered the NFC's biggest obstacle to reaching the Super Bowl that year.
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Brett Favre is helped off the field after being injured. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
The Saints defeated Favre and the Vikings in that year's NFC Championship Game, a 31-28 overtime thriller. Favre was not injured, but he took multiple hard hits and threw a costly interception in overtime.
Favre said he bears no “malice” against the Saints because of the scandal and wished he had played better in the game.
“I played the game with a mindset to prepare for anything: a big hit, an injury, a player trying to knock his head off. Just losing makes me want to work harder and get better next time. fueled my drive to win,” Favre wrote.
“I have no ill will toward the people involved in Bountygate. After losing to the Saints, I rooted for Drew Brees and Sean Payton to win the Super Bowl.”
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre heads to the sideline after throwing a pass that is intercepted by Julius Peppers of the Chicago Bears 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.
However, once the scandal was discovered, the Saints received some of the harshest sanctions in NFL history. Former head coach Sean Payton was suspended for a year without pay.
Defensive coordinator Greg Williams, identified as the brains of the scheme, 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 Jovitt was suspended for the first six games of the year.
Former Saints players Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith, and Jonathan Wilma were all suspended for their roles.
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New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton watches the play on the sideline. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)
The Saints also had to pay a $500,000 fine and forfeit a second-round pick in the 2012 and 2013 drafts.
As many as 27 players and at least one assistant coach were involved in the team's bounty hunting plan. Players also contributed to the cash pool.
Players were paid $1,500 for a “knockout” when the targeted player was unable to return to the game and $1,000 for a “cart-off” where the player had to be carried off the field .
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