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.

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.

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JC Latham (Alabama), Chris Braswell (Alabama not Jaguars), Cornelieus Johnson (Michigan) in action behind a New Orleans Saints logo with a 2024 NFL Draft background.

Dylan Bruton ·

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.