Sean Payton, Gregg Williams suspended as NFL punishes Saints for bounty program Williams was suspended indefinitely. Payton was suspended for one year, and Loomis was suspended for eight games, a person with knowledge of the measures said. The Saints were fined $500,000 and lose two second-round draft choices, one in this year's draft and one in 2013, the person with knowledge of the punishments said. The penalties are among the harshest in the sport's history. In the 1960s, then-commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alex Karras for one year each for gambling. Will harsh punishment like this do enough to curb this behavior in the NFL? Jason Reid said in a recent column that there is a league-wide problem with a warped culture: It's a given that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell must severely punish longtime defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for operating a bounty system. Goodell also should hammer anyone under his authority who participated, or knowingly looked the other way, while Williams directed his pay-for-pain program with the New Orleans Saints after he refined it in Washington. That's the easy part. Changing the NFL's warped culture, in which Williams's out-of-bounds conduct was accepted, and even admired, is Goodell's bigger challenge. But when a high-profile defensive coach has reportedly violated rules by paying cash bonuses for "knock-out hits" and "kill shots," tackles that sent players to the sideline during games, the message clearly isn't reaching everyone. Gregg Williams, who orchestrated the program, received the most severe punishment: an indefinite suspension. Post columnist Mike Wise looked at the locker room culture when Williams was defensive coordinator for the Redskins: Many Colts fans fear Manning's neck was never the same after that play.Was it clearly dirty? More on the bounty investigation: Saints owner Tom Benson, coach Sean Payton meet with NFL Redskins offered bounties Severe penalties expected for Williams, Saints Payton, Loomis accept responsibility Jason Reid: Bounties flourished in warped football culture How widespread are bounties in the NFL?