Saints defenders stood to make thousands if they could knock no. 4 out of the NFC Championship... and they still couldn't take the gunslinger out.

Football's a violent game, but there's a difference between playing hard and playing to hurt someone. That shit is unacceptable.

Remember all those dirty hits the New Orleans Saints delivered to our then-beloved Brett Favre during the still-soul-crushing-for-Vikings-fans 2009 NFC Championship Game?Today, the NFL revealed that during the playoffs Saints players and coaches maintained a "bounty" program funded primarily by players. Turns out Saints players had NFL rule-violating cash incentives to try to knock the grizzled gunslinger from the game.[jump] In a statement, NFL commish Roger Goodell said, "It is our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of the game, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated."The NFL's investigation revealed Saints Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams administered the bounty program with the knowledge of other coaches, including head coach Sean Payton. Williams even occasionally contributed funds to the illegal cash pool.Payments were not only made for plays like interceptions and fumble recoveries, but also for dirty "cart-off" or "knockout" plays where opposing offensive players either were helped off the field or were hit so hard they couldn't return to the game. Funds in the pool may have reached $50,000 during the Saints' drive to a Super Bowl title following the 2009 season, just in time for New Orleans to lay the hurt on Favre with their series of questionable hits.Chris Kluwe, the punter for the 2009 Vikings, offered up the following tweet in response to the news: