The bounty scandal punishments that hit the Saints Coaching staff has finally made its way to the players.
Its hard to argue that the players are blameless, and that's hardly my intention, but the issue should really be examined in the context of the relationship that exists typically between coaches and players in the NFL.

NFL is no NBA , a star player cannot dictate to the coaching staff the way an NBA star can. There are far fewer individuals in the NFL with that kind of clout. The opposite is however quite likely. With the lack of guaranteed contracts , even star players fear the cut should they be too expensive, or not fit in the scheme.
Its quite clear, that the coaches set the tone in the NFL, in a way that's quite unique to the sport. The violent nature of the sport, ensures player careers are on the average shorter , than the other major sports(I don't know this for a fact, but I would be surprised to learn otherwise)
I agree the players who participated , should have had a sense of right and wrong , if not just plain common sense.
The coaches in New Orleans set the tone, and they should really be the ones taking a lions share of the blame along with the Organization as a whole. Treating the players and the coaches as equal partners in the crime is both unfair and ignores how much influence the coaches yield.
What does Big Blue View Think?