NEW YORK -- Roger Goodell sent a message to every coach and player in the NFL: safety first. The league commissioner stuck with his punishments for New Orleans pay-for-pain bounties on Monday, rejecting Saints coach Sean Paytons appeal of a season-long suspension. An NFL investigation found that, under Paytons watch, an assistant ran a program offering cash payouts for hits that knocked targeted opponents out of games or hurt them so badly they needed help getting to the sideline. Next on Goodells agenda: discipline for players involved in the bounty program that began in 2009, the season the Saints won the Super Bowl. Given recent history, at least some of those penalties are likely to be tough, too. The Saints case represents perhaps the starkest example yet of the sea change that the NFL has undergone since medical research and media reports on the long-term damage suffered by football players through concussions began to gain attention. As recently as October 2009, while testifying before Congress, Goodell did not acknowledge a link between head injuries on the field and brain diseases later in life. And hundreds of NFL retirees are now suing the league for health problems they say began with their playing careers. Yet the league has taken a series of steps to better protect players in the past couple of years, and just last month expanded the definition of "defenceless players" who may not be hit in the head or neck and cannot be hit by someone leading with a helmet. While NFL veterans say off-the-books incentives have been around for years, and some current players claim tough talk about hitting opponents where they are injured happens in locker rooms throughout the league, Goodell responded to the Saints case by handing out unprecedented penalties. In addition to upholding Paytons suspension, which begins next Monday and runs through the Super Bowl in February 2013 -- by coincidence, in New Orleans -- Goodell also affirmed suspensions of eight games for Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and six games for assistant head coach Joe Vitt. He also kept in place a $500,000 fine for the franchise and the loss of draft picks this year and next. Loomis, who along with the team declined comment Monday, and Vitt begin their suspensions after the preseason ends. Former defensive co-ordinator Gregg Williams, who left the Saints in January to join the St. Louis Rams, ran the bounty program and has been suspended indefinitely. He did not appeal. Suspensions for New Orleans players who participated in the bounty pool could be coming within days. Goodell set a precedent last season when he made Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh sit out for two games after stomping on an opponent, and Steelers linebacker James Harrison one game for a brutal tackle that gave Browns quarterback Colt McCoy a concussion. The NFL has said as many as 27 players also could be sanctioned in the scandal. That might include former Saints defensive regulars who have signed elsewhere. The leagues investigation found that Williams bounty system, which ran from 2009 through 2011, offered cash payments of $1,500 for "knockouts," in which an opposing player was knocked out of a game, or $1,000 for "cart-offs," in which an opponent needed help off the field. The league has said the bounty pool grew as large as $50,000. The investigation also found that Payton initially lied about the existence of a bounty program and instructed his defensive assistants to do the same. Goodell showed a bit of leniency Monday, saying in a statement if Payton, Loomis and Vitt "embrace the opportunity and participate in a constructive way," he would consider reducing the financial penalties on them. None of them has been fined, but each will lose significant amounts while not being paid their salaries during the suspensions. Payton, who twice apologized for his role in the bounties, could lose more than $6 million. Goodell added he would consider modifying the forfeiture of the teams 2013 second-round draft choice, perhaps to a lower round. But New Orleans still will receive a draft penalty next year and will lose this years second-round pick. While the Saints await punishment for some players, they have the not-so-small task of finding an interim coach to replace Payton. They have talked to Bill Parcells, Paytons mentor since their days together in Dallas, about coming out of retirement. Parcells, who turns 71 in August, has said he would consider coaching the Saints if asked to help his former protege. Parcells won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants and took the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl, but has not coached since retiring from the Cowboys after the 2006 season, though he then worked in Miamis front office. If the Saints were to hire Parcells or anyone from outside the organization, the club would have to interview a minority candidate to comply with the NFLs "Rooney Rule." Of course, the Saints could decide to promote from within the current staff, which has three strong candidates: offensive co-ordinator Pete Carmichael, defensive co-ordinator Steve Spagnuolo and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer. Vitt also could be a candidate to step in, as he did briefly last season when Payton broke his leg, once his suspension ends. Because Loomis can remain as GM until late summer, he will oversee the draft in late April and handle other roster moves. Loomis had been told by Saints owner Tom Benson to ensure that the bounty program was dismantled, but did not act. Payton has said he laid out plans for the off-season training program and the late July beginning of training camp. The Saints play Arizona in the Hall of Fame game Aug. 5 in Canton, Ohio, the leagues first preseason game. Emmanuel Acho Eagles Jersey . The Rangers said Wednesday that Harrison will be put on the 15-day DL after an MRI revealed an inflamed nerve in his back. The left-hander will remain in Texas for treatment instead of going with the team to Seattle, where he was scheduled to start Thursday night. 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Only this time, its the biggest game of his career. The diminutive right-hander, who didnt even start the season in Atlantas rotation, will deliver the first pitch in the inaugural wild-card playoff against the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Braves couldnt have asked for anyone better in the winner-take-all format, considering they havent lost a start by Medlen (10-1, 1.57 ERA) in more than two years. Just stop reminding him about it. "Its not me by myself," said Medlen, who always snacks on a peanut butter and honey sandwich before his starts. "Ive given up four or five runs in a start, and guys pull it out for me. My name is in the books or whatever, but its a team thing. I didnt do it all by myself, thats for sure." The Braves have won 23 consecutive starts by Medlen -- a modern big league record. He eclipsed the mark held by a pair of Hall of Famers, Carl Hubbell and Whitey Ford. "You cant help but notice when someones having the amount of success that hes had," said Kyle Lohse, who will start for the Cardinals. "Its impressive what hes done. Obviously, the team plays very well behind him, and to be that consistently good to keep your team in games or win games says a lot about what kind of pitcher he is. "I expect him to keep doing what hes been doing out there," Lohse added, "and my job is to do the same thing that hes doing. Go out there and shut down their team." No one is quite sure what to expect from the one-game format, which was added this year when Major League Baseball expanded the playoff field by adding a second wild-card team in each league. One-and-done may be the norm in football. But this is a whole new ballgame for the big leagues. "We know the necessity to make it like a Game 7," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "You do things differently. Weve been anticipating it, but I also want these guys to know we just want to go out and play the game weve been playing." Besides, St. Louis knows its just fortunate to have a chance to win another title. The Cardinals finished six games behind Atlanta in the wild-card standings. If not for the new system, they would be watching from home. "Were exceptionally happy about the format," Matheny said with a smile. Despite losing Albert Pujols last winter in free agency, the Cardinals have a chance to pull off another magical post-season run. A year ago, they trailed the Braves by 10 1/2 games in late August, but Atlanta collapsed over the final month and St. Louis pulled out the wild card on a frenetic final day. That momentum carried right into the playoffs, where the Redbirds pulled off three straight upsets, including another stunning rally against Texas in the World Series. Pujols may be gone. But theres plenty of holdovers from the title team, including Lohse (16-3, 2.86). "A lot of guys with me in that clubhouse, they experienced last year from being 10 1/2 back and a lot of people kind of saying, Go get em next year," he said. "It helped us mature a lot and grow a lot as individuals and learn how to handle big situations like the one thatts coming up.dddddddddddd." The winner advances to face NL East champion Washington in the divisional round. The Braves would love to get another crack at the Nationals, having chased them futilely all summer and coming up four games short in the divisional race. But Atlanta will have to do something it hasnt done in more than a decade -- win a playoff round. The Braves have dropped six straight series since winning a divisional playoff in 2001, including an 0-5 mark in elimination games at Turner Field. They dont want to go out like that again, not with 40-year-old Chipper Jones planning to retire as soon as the season is over. "You dont have that many opportunities in your career to play in the playoffs or to play in whatever this is called," Medlen said. "But especially for him. Its his last year. It inspires you to want to get a few more games under his belt and let him go out on top, which is where he belongs." If the Braves needed any more motivation, they could turn to the words of Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright. As St. Louis closed in on the second wild card, the players took note of the raucous celebration by the Braves after they clinched a playoff spot -- especially Wainwright, who came up in the Atlanta organization. "No disrespect to what they did, but I think were going to save the big pop for after we beat Atlanta," he said. That little sound bite has made the rounds in the Braves clubhouse, providing some extra fire. But, overlooking the one-game format, this isnt the gridiron. Bulletin-board fodder only goes so far. A player isnt suddenly going to hit the ball harder because hes mad at the other team. A pitcher isnt going to get an extra 5 mph on his fastball. "Its not like football where we post it and I want to rip his head off," said Braves catcher David Ross, noting that Wainwright wont even be on the 25-man roster for this game. "But it is one of those things, you wonder why guys comment about other teams. I feel like, as a player, I wouldnt make a comment about another team in a negative light to a media outlet. I just feel like Im better than that." No one has been better than Medlen over the past two months. Forced into the rotation by injuries and ineffective performances, he suddenly became baseballs hottest pitcher. He hardly looks the part, generously listed at 5-foot-10 with a fastball that struggles to reach 90 mph. But he is especially bedeviling with his changeup, a pitch the organization ordered him to throw coming up through the minors. In 12 starts this season, Medlen is 9-0 with an 0.97 ERA. He struck out 13 hitters in one game, 12 in another. In six of those appearances, he didnt give up an earned run. Away from the field, its hard to take Medlen seriously. He is a bundle of nervous energy, which he copes with by delivering a constant string of jokes and one-liners. As manager Fredi Gonzalez finished up his time at the podium Thursday, Medlen stood against the wall, clapping slowly. When asked about his pregame routine, Medlen made it clear he doesnt have one. Except for the peanut butter and honey. "Its a light meal. Its good energy," he said. "Its not like Im going to eat fried chicken." cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '