NFL Suspends, Fines Former Towson Player Joe Vitt in Bounty Scandal

A former player and coach is among the list of New Orleans Saints personnel suspended by the NFL on Wednesday in the wake of a bounty scandal, ESPN reports.

Joe Vitt, the Saints' assistant head coach, was fined $100,000 and suspended for the first six games of the 2012 season.

Vitt, a Syracuse, NY native, played linebacker at then-Towson State for four seasons and started coaching after his graduation. He joined the Baltimore Colts as a strength coach in 1979 and has coached with the likes of the Seattle Seahawks, the Philidelphia Eagles, the Green Bay Packers and a stint with the St. Louis Rams that included 11 games as interim head coach in 2005.

Vitt is regularly involved with Towson athletics, including an annual Ocean City golf outing and crab feast fundraiser the university hosts in his name.

In addition to Vitt, the NFL indefinitely suspended Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and suspended head coach Sean Payton for one year. The team was fined $500,000, according to ESPN.

An NFL report alleges that the Saints set up a "bounty" program, in which defensive players were eligible for cash rewards for delivering hits that put opposing players out of the game. According to ESPN, the NFL believes between 22 and 27 Saints defensive players were involved in the program. Player suspensions related to the scandal have not yet been announced.