New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, who has been angry at the NFL as is, is now upset that the league hired a former whistleblower who was actually on staff.
Mike Cerullo, who now works for the NFL office, is a former defensive assistant for the Saints. You might remember him as the guy who provided key evidence to the NFL to kick-start its bounty investigation against the National Football League Franchise in 2011.
In turn, the Saints dismissed him as a “liar” with a grudge against them for being fired.
When Sean Payton saw the report by Jay Glazer of FOX, he went to the mean streets of Twitter to voice his concern.
@NFLonFOX @NFL
Troubling report by @JayGlazer regarding league hiring of fired @Saints employee.
Unbelievable— Sean Payton (@SeanPayton) December 10, 2017
What this boils down to, at least in its simplest form, is the concern that the NFL “rewarded” Cerullo for providing the league with information. It would — depending on your point of view — make the evidence he provided tainted.
Cerullo sent the NFL an email in November 2011 calling the Saints a “dirty organization” and saying he had proof that assistant head coach Joe Vitt had lied to the league about the existence of a bounty program. Payton was suspended for a full season over this entire debacle.
Here is a quote of Cerullo back during the appeal hearing process, which will only help fuel the flames.
Cerullo said: “I was angry for being let go from the Saints. … I was angry at Joe Vitt, and I wanted to show that I was fired for lying and I witnessed Joe Vitt lying and he still had a job.”
Maybe this isn't nefarious, but the optics look awful.