Sean Payton on Saints Bountygate punishment: 'I'm not OK'

Sean Payton is 'not OK' right now. (Getty Images)

The NFL dropped a bombshell on the New Orleans Saints Wednesday, announcing the punishments for "Bountygate." Included in that punishment was a stunning one-year suspension for Saints head coach Sean Payton.

Jay Glazer, speaking on NFL Network, said he spoke to Payton and that Payton is "not OK," and "beside himself" as a result of the punishment.

"I did talk to him and he's stunned to say the least,” Glazer said, via MDS at PFT. “I think the entire team thought maybe there'd be a four-game suspension, but not a year. I said, ‘Are you OK?' And he said, ‘No, I'm not OK.' He is stunned. He's going to lose about $8 million. He is beside himself here."

According to Glazer, Payton planned to have assistant head coach Joe Vitt take over the head coaching duties for four games in his place. However, Vitt got his own six-game suspension and that likely means either Steve Spagnuolo or Pete Carmichael will take over.

It's understandable that Payton's stunned: everyone else is too. Roger Goodell's decision on how the Saints should be punished is shocking. But it's also not over-the-top. Payton engaged in activities that are not just expressly prohibited by the NFL, they're harmful to other human beings on the football field.

And now, regardless of how Payton feels or how much money he loses, Goodell is going to do his best to make sure it doesn't happen again.