Saints Release Statement Concerning Sanctions

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down sanctions against the New Orleans Saints Wednesday -- including a year-long suspension for head coach Sean Payton -- and the franchise has responded with a statement saying that "[t]here is no place for bounties in our league and we reiterate our pledge that this will never happen again."

The statement, in full:

Today, Commissioner Goodell apprised us of the severe penalties facing our club, as proposed by the NFL. There is no place for bounties in our league and we reiterate our pledge that this will never happen again.

We recognize our fans’ concerns and we regret the uncertainty this episode has created for them. We are humbled by the support our organization has received from our fans today in the wake of this announcement, and we ask them to continue to stand with us, as they have done in the past, when both our team and our city have overcome greater adversities.

To our fans, the NFL and the rest of our league, we offer our sincere apology and take full responsibility for these serious violations.

It has always been the goal of the New Orleans Saints to create a model franchise and to impact our league in a positive manner.