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PAGE: A-1 Thursday, March 22, 2012 Zone: West Bank

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CLASSIFIED D-11

COMICS C-7

DEATHS B-3

EDITORIAL B-6

LIVING C

LOUISIANA A-2

MONEY C-8

NATIONAL A-3

SPORTS D

TELEVISION C-6

WASHINGTON A-3

WORLD A-3

175th YEAR

NO. 58

WEST BANK EDITION • 75¢ T H U R S D A Y , M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 2

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BREAKING NEWS AT NOLA.COMBREAKING NEWS AT

Since 1837 YEARS

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By James VarneySta� writer

The odds that the Saints will be the fi rst NFL team to play a Super Bowl on their home field dropped sharply Wednesday.

In response to a bounty program the league says the Saints ran from 2009 to 2011, Commissioner Roger Goodell unleashed on the franchise the most draconian punishments in

pro football history. Most signifi cant-ly, Coach Sean Payton was suspended without pay for the 2012 season and is essentially barred from involvement with the team beginning April 1.

In addition, General Manager Mickey Loomis is suspended for the first eight games of the upcoming campaign, the club is stripped of its second-round draft picks this year and next, linebackers coach Joe Vitt

Saints were ‘out of control’; NFL ‘was lied to,’ Goodell says

FALLFROMGRACE

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“It’s our universe.”Anyone who’s dealt with the Saints in the Sean Payton

era has heard the phrase more than once. It’s a favorite of Saints executives, who often directed it to the uninitiated or unwitting who dared question their authority.

It’s one thing to act this way to the media or oppo-nents; it’s altogether different to do so toward your boss.

In essence that’s what Payton did with NFL Com-missioner Roger Goodell and league officials when they accused the Saints of running a bounty program.

Hubris doesn’t come cheapas N.O. now feels the pain

r Saints Coach Sean Payton is suspended without pay for the 2012 season, e� ective April 1.

r Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis is suspend-ed with-out pay for the fi rst eight regular-season games of the 2012 season and fi ned $500,000.

r Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt, who oversees the line-back-ers, is sus-pended without pay for the fi rst six regu-lar-season games of the 2012 season.

r Former Saints defensive coordina-tor Gregg Williams, who is now with the Rams, is suspended indefi nitely from the NFL, e� ective immediately.Commissioner Roger Goodell will review Williams’ status at the conclusion of the 2012 season and consider whether to reinstate him, and, if so, on what terms.

r The Saints forfeit their second-round picks in the 2012 and 2013 NFL drafts.

r The Saints are fi ned $500,000.

r The Saints and individuals disci-plined have been told to participate in programs that will instruct on the need for respect for the game and those who participate.These programs are sup-posed to be based on prin-ciples of fair play, safety and sportsmanship, and to ensure that bounties will not be part of football at any level.

JEFF DUNCAN

SAINTS SUFFER UNPRECEDENTED PENALTIES FROM NFL FOR RUNNING BOUNTY PROGRAM

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By Bill BarrowCapital bureau

BATON ROUGE — The anchor mea-sures of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s pro-posed restructuring of primary

and secondary education are expected to pass the Louisiana House of Representatives today, but not without signifi cant debate over how to structure a statewide program that uses taxpayer mon-ey for private-school tuition aid.

Leading lawmakers said they do not expect fundamental changes to Jindal’s proposals to expand publicly fi nanced charter

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They focus on testing, eligibility

Changes to Jindal education proposals appear to gain steam

Gov. Bobby Jindal‘ Accountability standards are extremely strong’

MORE INSIDEBounty scandal Q&A A-6

Saints fans taking penalties hard A-6

Saints still need our cheers B-6

The NFL’s statement D-6

Benson should clean house, DeShazier says SPORTS

Sign Brees now, Finney says SPORTS

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TONY O. CHAMPAGNE

N F L B O U N T Y S C A N D A L

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By Bob RossEast Je� erson bureau

The independent agency that was created to protect the rights of developmentally disabled

people in Louisiana has issued a report highlighting poor liv-ing conditions and inadequate programs in what it calls the 16 worst group homes in the state.

Five of those group homes are in Kenner, one in New Orleans, according to the report by the Advocacy Center. All six are owned by Progressive Health-care Providers.

“These homes were selected because of problems that never

seem to ‘get fi xed’ for long and are, in our opinion, the worst group homes in the state,” the Advocacy Center said of the 16 in its report.

Throughout the state, about 4,100 developmentally disabled people live in 509 group homes.

The six local homes in the Advocacy Center report house a total of 46 people who live in

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It says they fall shortin caring for disabled

Watchdog agency identifies 6 local group homes as among the worst in Louisiana

Read the report on group homes at nola.com/politics

See DUNCAN, A-5See BOUNTY, A-4

See EDUCATION, A-8See GROUP HOMES, A-7