New whistleblower alleged in Saints' bounty scandal
A New Orleans filmmaker has accused former Saints defensive quality control coach Mike Cerullo of being the man who blew the whistle on the team's pay-for-pain bounty program that resulted in the suspensions of head coach Sean Payton, GM Mickey Loomis, assistant head coach Joe Vitt and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the bounty system architect.
"Based on my sources, and I believe they're very good, the former defensive quality control coach, his name is Mike Cerullo with a 'C,' was let go after the Super Bowl season and, for whatever reason, he was unable to find work in the NFL, and he believed that it was Gregg Williams and Sean Payton and others in the Saints organization blocking him from getting other work," Alan Donnes, who also wrote a book about the Saints, told America's Radio News Network on Tuesday.
"To the best of the sources I have and everybody else has, we all have that name."
Cerullo, a member of New Orleans' staff from 2007-09, now works at UConn.
"As we have stated, our information was corroborated by multiple independent sources," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an email to CBSSports.com when asked about Cerullo's role in the investigation.
NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp seemed to strongly suggest that former Saints TE Jeremy Shockey was the whistle blower in a tweet last month.
Shockey subsequently tweeted a text message exchange with Payton which seems to absolve him of outing the team he played for from 2008-10. Shockey's tweet read: "The truth shall set u free!!"
The text conversations read:
Payton: "... hug!!!!!"
Shockey: "Thx coach"
Shockey: "Coach sux to hear the news u know I love u and that (stuff) is unfair! Sapp is saying I was the rat ... u know me and u know this is media (expletive)"
Payton: "Shock your my guy and always will be!! I know you had nothing to do with that stuff (Sapp) said!! Hell you were in the offensive (meetings) with me!!! Love ya. Sean"
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld Payton's suspension for the 2012 season Monday, and the team is now considering interim replacements after Bill Parcells bowed out Tuesday.
Goodell is expected to discipline Saints defenders who participated in the bounty program soon.
This article was written by Nate Davis and appeared in USA Today.
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