( CNN ) -- The New Orleans Saints ' defense had a bounty program that paid players for injuring opponents and for making interceptions and fumble recoveries , the National Football League said Friday . The program involved as many as 27 defensive players , at least one assistant coach , and was active during the 2009 , 2010 and 2011 seasons , said the league . `` The payments here are particularly troubling because they involved not just payments for 'performance , ' but also for injuring opposing players , '' NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement . `` It is our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of our game , and this type of conduct will not be tolerated . We have made significant progress in changing the culture with respect to player safety and we are not going to relent , '' he added . Goodell has received the results of an NFL investigation into the Saints ' program and will decide on discipline , which could include fines , suspensions and forfeiture of draft choices , the NFL said . Saints owner Tom Benson released a statement acknowledging the probe and calling its results `` troubling . '' `` I have offered and the NFL has received our full cooperation in their investigation . While the findings may be troubling , we look forward to putting this behind us and winning more championships in the future for our fans , '' he said . According to the NFL , Saints players regularly contributed cash to a pool , the total of which may have been as high as $ 50,000 or more at its peak . They were paid $ 1,500 for a `` knockout , '' when an opposing player was not able to return to the game , and $ 1,000 for a `` cart-off , '' when an opposing player had to be carried off the field . In some cases , particular players on the opposing team were targeted , the NFL said . The program was administered by then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams , with knowledge of other coaches , said the league . Head coach Sean Payton did not directly participate , nor was he involved in the administration of the program , however , he knew about the allegations and failed to stop it , the NFL said . Williams , who is now defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams , released a statement on the allegations , the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Friday . `` It was a terrible mistake , and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it . Instead of getting caught up in it , I should have stopped it . I take full responsibility for my role . I am truly sorry . I have learned a hard lesson and I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again , '' the newspaper quoted him saying . SI : Saints look at severe penalties for bounty system . Saints players were also allegedly paid for interceptions and fumble recoveries . Payouts doubled and tripled during the playoffs , the NFL said . The New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl after the 2009 season . `` There is no question that a bounty program violates long-standing league rules . Payments of this type -- even for legitimate plays such as interceptions or fumble recoveries -- are forbidden because they are inconsistent with the Collective Bargaining Agreement and well-accepted rules relating to NFL player contracts , '' said the league . It informed the NFL Players Association about the Saints ' investigation earlier Friday . The NFLPA said it would review the information and stressed that health and safety issues are `` paramount . '' The NFL has been under fire of late as hundreds of former players and their families are currently suing the league for alleged negligence , claiming that it did n't do enough to mitigate the risks despite what many say is an inherently dangerous sport . An attorney for former Philadelphia Eagles fullback Kevin Turner , Stephen F. Rosenthal -- whose Miami-based firm represents 137 other players and their families who 've filed a class-action suit against the league -- said Turner has likely suffered from undiagnosed concussions . He accused the league of deliberately withholding information deemed critical to player safety . Stars such as former quarterback Jim McMahon , as well as running backs Jamal Lewis and Dorsey Levens , have filed similar lawsuits in states across the country . Attorneys representing Lewis and Levens accuse the league of having used a `` hand-picked committee of physicians '' to misrepresent evidence of the effects of head trauma , particularly concussions . The league denies the claims and released a statement saying it `` has long made player safety a priority and continues to take steps to protect players and to advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions . '' `` The NFL has never misled players with respect to the risks associated with playing football , '' the statement added . `` Any suggestion to the contrary has no merit . '' The league has in recent years also made strides to strengthen rules that govern on-the-field conduct , while adding sideline medical staff -- unaffiliated with the teams -- to more independently evaluate injured players . In 2005 , the league banned the practice of tackling a player by using his shoulder pads , a move commonly referred to as a `` horse-collar '' tackle , after concluding it commonly resulted in injury . It also strengthened a 1979 rule prohibiting players from using their helmets to butt , or `` spear '' players during a tackle -- a rule that critics often complained had lacked enforcement .
NEW : NFL : The program was administered by then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams . In the first two weeks of the season, the Patriots were held to a combined four points in their three games against New Orleans, Atlanta and San Francisco. He reportedly apologizes and says he 'll never be involved with such activity again . NEW : NFL : Head coach Sean Payton was aware of the allegations and failed to stop the program . Both the individuals involved and the club could be punished .