Former Saint Turley questions Brees' role in bounty-gate

The controversy enveloping the Saints and their in-house policy of putting bounties on players in recent seasons has mostly swirled around the defensive players and former DC Gregg Williams.

However former New Orleans T Kyle Turley also wants to hold QB Drew Brees' feet to the fire.

"It's an attitude that has been perpetuated by the league and the union and the way they've negotiated collective bargaining agreements. To the layman out there, that basically means the NFL and the teams have no responsibility to the players' health and safety," Turley said on Yahoo! Sports Radio, questioning the accountability of the NFLPA amid endeavors that jeopardize player safety.

Brees is one of the most prominent union representatives in the NFL and was one of the plaintiffs when the players sued the league during the 2011 lockout.

Regarding Brees, Turley said: "I would like to know personally what he knew about this bounty system, because he's not only in charge of the safety of his players in that locker room in New Orleans, he's supposed to be in those meetings responsible for all players across the league as it pertains to those types of issues. That's what I would like to know. Where has the union been in all of this, and that's what really needs to be found out."

A one-time all-pro, Turley has been critical of the treatment of former NFL players since injuries ended his career after the 2007 season.

This article was written by Erick Smith and appeared in USA Today,