Payton screwed up. Should've gotten a Lawyer.

As bad as i feel for Sean Payton, the fact that he trusted Goodell to deliver a fair punishment and underestimated how much of a power-drunk maniac he is was his downfall. Let this be a lesson to every other player and coach in the league: Don't admit a thing without a Lawyer, because you effectively remove the possibility of contesting the eventual ruling.

If payton could've proven discrimination by the league in how the saints were punished unequally compared to other teams, he could've had strong standing to mitigate his punishment.