The famous “bounty gate” scandal of the New Orleans Saints is the first thing you think of when discussing players getting paid to injure players.
Former Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was in the same role with the Saints at the time and ended up being suspended for a full season because of actions that included a hit on quarterback Brett Favre in the playoffs.
This scandal may have never been caught if it wasn’t for a disgruntled Saints employee, Mike Cerullo, blowing the whistle on the Saints after being fired after the 2009 season.