In response to the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, where players had allegedly been encouraged during previous seasons to knock certain players out of games, Goodell suspended New Orleans head coach Sean Payton (the entire 2012 season), general manager Mickey Loomis (first eight games of the 2012 season), assistant head coach Joe Vitt (first six games of the 2012 season), and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (indefinitely). It was the first time in modern NFL history that a head coach has been suspended for any reason. The Saints organization was fined $500,000, and forced to forfeit their second-round draft selections in 2012 and 2013. Four former Saints players (Jonathan Vilma, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith, and Scott Fujita) were suspended after being named as ringleaders in the scandal. The players' suspensions were vacated by Goodell's designated appeals officer, former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.