The National Football League Commissioner, Roger Goodell, announced on Wednesday that the league is taking measures to prevent the paying of bounties to players who intentionally injure their opponents, including the creation of an anonymous tip line players can use to report infractions.
After a brief meeting with Senator Dick Durbin, D-Illinois and second-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate, Goodell told reporters at a news conference, “We’ve taken very strong action to make sure they’re not part of sports going forward. And that the integrity of our game and the safety of our players is paramount. And that we’re going to take very aggressive steps to protect that.” The commissioner also said the league would send a communication to all NFL personnel, “making it extremely clear that we have a policy, we’ve had a policy, and we will enforce our policies against bounties if violations occur.” There will also be an additional “bounties section” in the players handbooks, and posters promoting the tip line will be displayed in locker rooms, according to Goodell.
