Senate to Hold Hearing on Bounties in the NFL - East Idaho News
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Senate to Hold Hearing on Bounties in the NFL

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Getty H 101910 HelmettoHelmetHits?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1332447626006Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Calling the New Orleans Saints’ bounty system “troubling” and “disturbing,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL., announced on Thursday his intention to hold a Judiciary Committee hearing in April about bounties in the NFL.

“A spirit of aggressiveness and competitiveness is an integral part of many sporting contests, but bribing players to intentionally hurt their opponents cannot be tolerated,” Durbin said on the Senate floor. “We have to put an end to this.”

Durbin said he is convening a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee to make sure that this never happens again on any team in any sport.

“We will have a hearing and put on the record what sports leagues and teams at the professional and collegiate levels are doing to make sure that there’s no place in athletics for these pay-to-maim bounties,” he said. “I want to hear the policies and practices in each of the major sports and collegiate sports that are being put in place and have one explore whether federal legislation is required.”

The hearing, which will be called after the Easter recess in the Senate, will invite representatives and witnesses from the major sporting leagues and the NCAA.

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