My response to the whole bounty program? Um, DUH.

It's inconceivable to be that anyone with even half a brain could watch football—on any level from high school to the pros—and not think that it's an inherently brutal sport that demands uncivilized levels of violence. If you're really outraged by this, don't watch football. If you're outraged because you believe it tarnishes the "integrity" of a game where the goal of each play is to bring a man to the ground in basically any way you can, then you're a hypocrite of the highest order.

For more, let's turn to angry Deadspin sports columnist and former high school football player Drew Magary:

I must again reiterate that football is an inherently violent and inhumane sport, and that anyone who watches it makes a pact with themselves that it's violent, but that's OK because it's grown men playing it and it's AWESOME to watch. It was never a beautiful sport. Ever. If you ever played football, you know that pain and suffering are inflicted on someone virtually every play.

I watch football with open eyes, understand that savagery and inhuman acts are as much a part of the game as touchdowns, and plan on keeping my children away from football as much as possible. But maybe I'm too sanguine about this. What say you, Hampton?

–Jake

Jake, the day I start looking to Drew Magary as my moral compass, you can take me out back and shoot me.

Let me see if I'm getting this. You are saying that football is a violent game? Wow. Gee whiz. That is a stunning revelation. Next thing you'll be telling me that the sky is blue.

Yes, football is about violence. But it isn't only about violence. The goal of the game is not, in fact, "to bring a man to the ground" however you can. The goal, because apparently there's confusion here, is to score more points than the other team. Towards that end, teams employ various tactics and strategies. One tactic, the forward pass, is especially popular with fans. It's so popular that forward-passers, called "quarterbacks," are among the game's biggest stars. Brett Favre, for instance, during his playing career, generated millions of dollars for the NFL, its broadcast partners, and advertisers. Jonathan Vilma and Gregg Williams? Ummm... Not so much. Bet you last dollar, those boys are about to learn their place on the food chain.

But this isn't just about pampering quarterbacks. Keep in mind, we aren't talking about cash for big, clean plays. That would be fundamentally no different from college and high school programs handing out helmet stickers. The Saints wanted guys knocked off their field. That usually means a cheap shot or helmet-to-helmet hit, and the team was offering cash to offset the inevitable fines that would come.

That's not "just part of football," Jake, and it's more than just bad business, too. It's cheating. And it's an especially cruel, stupid kind; one that can not only change the outcome of games, but destroy a player's career in an instant.