Say It Ain’t So Sean

Sean Payton, coach of the New Orleans Saints, has been banned for a year from football because his players were awarded a bounty for taking out an opposing player i.e. physically injuring him. This one could be a novel. First, the obvious. The length of the ban is as much about the fact that the Saints lied as about what was done. Why don’t people learn? What if the message from President Clinton had been, “I did have sexual relations with that woman and I apologize to the nation, my family and particularly my wife.”  What if President Nixon had said, “There was a break-in. It was inexcusable and my aides who knew about it are hereby fired.”  In law I have had cases where the best that one can do is admit liability and get on with it. Juries love it for the same reason that the American public loves it.  . I handled a catastrophic accident case where I received a call in the middle of the night requesting advise. I told the company representative to call the victim’s family the next day and apologize, making clear that the company would want to talk settlement when the family was ready. That paid dividends that lead to a just settlement rather than a runaway jury. We as a society forgive sinners.