During his season long suspension from the NFL, Sean Payton obviously had a lot of time to think and reflect. Restricted from contact with the New Orleans Saints, Payton had to watch from afar as his team went through the season without him.
In his time of reflection, apparently Payton feels the Bounty gate situation could have been avoided if he had managed his staff better. Profootballtalk captured these quotes from Payton on the topic.
“There’s certain things that, you know, as you have a chance to look back on it that I would want to look back on differently and I would want to handle differently, with the challenges of managing a staff,” Payton said.
Payton also elaborated on how hard it was being cut off from his team.
“I think the hardest part, though, was not football,” Payton said. “The hardest part was so many of these people we’re talking about — Mickey Loomis, Mr. Benson, a number of the players — you’re used to talking to them in a regular basis. So the difficult part for me was not having the personal interaction. Not necessarily football related, but just as you would as a friend. That was what I found to be more difficult than football.”
Thoughtful quotes from Payton, who I’m sure will be on his best behavior now that he has a second chance at coaching. I think this time the coach will be a little more hands on when checking on what other members of his staff are doing.