The NFL imposed some of the most severe penalties in pro football history Wednesday when Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended three New Orleans Saints coaches and the team’s general manager for operating and tolerating a bounty system that paid players for hits that injured opponents. But the Washington Redskins escaped punishment, at least for now, when the league also announced that it had found no evidence to corroborate allegations that a similar bounty program existed between 2004 and 2007, when Gregg Williams, the man at the center of the Saints’ bounty program, coached for Joe Gibbs. A person familiar with the case said the NFL’s active investigation of the Redskins was closed, but left open the possibility of reopening the probe should new information surface/Washington Post. More here. (AP file photo of head coach Sean Payton, who was suspended for a year by the NFL)

Question: What do you make of the bounty system used by the New Orleans Saints to injure opposing players?

Democrats are putting their faith in a 33-year-old candidate for 1st District Congress who has cast just one ballot in his lifetime — for Barack Obama. “Oh, that’ll help him inIdaho,” snickered Jim Weatherby, the emeritus professor at Boise State who graduated from Lewiston High in 1961, 35 years before Farris. Farris had a storied against-the-odds football career. But he couldn’t be more raw as candidate, admitting he didn’t vote until 2008, the year he started paying attention to politics. “I’ve always been just so unsettled that I never had an opportunity” to vote, Farris said during a conference call with reporters Wednesday. “There was a point early on when I was in college and shortly thereafter where I just didn’t think it mattered”/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Does Farris's background in the NFL make him a more attractive candidate for the Dems than he otherwise might have been?

In his Sunday column, John Blanchette/SR discussed the ultimate price that former, indestructible Post Falls Trojan star Joe Tofflemire paid to play in the NFL. Tofflemire died last week at his home at age 46. His brother, Paul, and the extended family weren't surprised as a result of the toll that the violent world of pro football took on his brother's body. Blachette reports: “A study in the 1990s by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health noted that NFL linemen had a 52 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than the general population. In 2006, the St. Petersburg Times reported while average life expectancy in the United States was nearly 78 years, the average for NFL players was 55 – 52 for linemen.” Then, Blanchette quotes Paul Tofflemire as saying: “The NFL stands for ‘Not For Long. It’s a violent game with a cost.” (SR file photo: former Seattle Seahawks center Joe Tofflemire reacts as a trainer checks his shoulder in training camp in July 1995.)

Question: Can you enjoy NFL football as much, knowing that the players are risking shorter lives for their moments of glory?

Ryan Leaf has set a lot of records for Washington State University. Even though the Cougars barely lost at the '97 Rose Bowl, Leaf's success as quarterback prompted him to leave WSU and become a first-round draft pick in the NFL. He bombed, was booed and benched. “For that reason, I stayed away from WSU and Cougar nation for a long time — for all the wrong reasons,” he said. “What I should have done was run back to the family that always supported me. And I pushed them away, because I was embarrassed.” Leaf will be the first to tell you he did not know how to focus his intensity or handle his failure to win. “But for sure, it was an embarrassing moment in my life at 21 years old,” he said. “But I think a lot of people do embarrassing things when they're 21 years old. And if that's my truly embarrassing moment at 21, I'll take that one over some of the other stories I've heard/Kathy Goertzen, KATU. More here.

Question: Did you do something incredibly stupid at age 21 that you would be willing to mention?

The NFL Players Association executive board and 32 team reps have voted unanimously to approve the terms of a deal to the end the 4-1/2-month lockout. Owners overwhelmingly approved a proposal last week, but some unresolved issues still needed to be reviewed to satisfy players; the owners do not need to vote again. The sides worked through the weekend and wrapped up the details Monday morning on a final pact that is for 10 years, without an opt-out clause, a person familiar with the deal told the AP on condition of anonymity/Associated Press. More here. (AP photo of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell)

Question: Do you have a favorite NFL team? Which one? How did you become a fan of that team?

NEW YORK – Brett Favre has been fined $50,000 by the NFL for a “failure to cooperate” with the investigation into allegations he sent inappropriate messages and lewd photos to former New York Jets game-day hostess Jenn Sterger.

The league said Commissioner Roger Goodell “could not conclude” that Favre violated the league's personal conduct policy based on the evidence currently available to him. Full story.

Did he or didn't he? And if he did, WHY?

Cincinnati wide receiver Chris Henry had apparently turned his life around when tragedy struck.

A berry picker sent me a link to this video that aired on Thanksgiving. A moving tribute to the choice Chris Henry’s mother made that forever changed the lives of many people. It’s worth watching. And yes, I cried, too: http://www.cbssports.com/video/player/play/nfl/CdypPOxkRyMWxJjEkoxYqBr_XWjB6WQe

Would you make the same choice Chris Henry’s mother made?

Joe Heller/Hellertoons

Minnesota’s Benny Sapp tackles Dallas’ Marion Barber during the first half. Barber ran eight times for 14 yards.

MINNEAPOLIS – “This is what I came back for.”

For the adrenaline rush. For the in-your-face touchdown. For another shot at the Super Bowl.

Brett Favre wanted all of it, and now he’s got it.

Four – count ’em, four – touchdown passes from Minnesota’s 40-year-old quarterback sent the Vikings to the NFC championship game with a determined 34-3 rout of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

“Probably the most fatigued I got today was celebrating,” Favre said, smiling. More here.

NFL Scoreboard:

Vikings 34 Cowboys 3

Jets 17 Chargers 14

Associated Press Bears WR Devin Aromashodu is mobbed after his game-winning TD.

Most have been a sad day in the KageMann household as the Bears rallied for a TD in overtime play.

CHICAGO – Brett Favre cranked up and made one more impossible throw, zinging a touchdown pass in the fading seconds. Too bad for the Minnesota Vikings, that merely put them into overtime.

The Vikings lost again Monday night, beaten by the Chicago Bears 36-30 when Jay Cutler tossed a 39-yard strike to Devin Aromashodu. Minnesota fell for the third time in four games, and the defeat gave the New Orleans Saints homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

What two teams do you envision in the Super Bowl this year?

Item: NFL remains strong with Idaho ties/Idaho Statesman

More Info: Former Boise State standout Quintin Mikell will be in the Eagles’ starting lineup. Mikell, a safety, had a breakout season with Philadelphia. He had 93 tackles, two sacks and two fumbles in the regular season, after which he was voted an Associated Press second-team All-Pro. He had his first career playoff interception in the Eagles’ 23-11 win over the Giants on Sunday.  Former Idaho State linebacker Pago Togafau will be representing the state of Idaho if the Cardinals make it to the Super Bowl.Togafau is a special teams dynamo who had 12 tackles in six games with the Cardinals.

Question: Which of the remaining 4 teams do you want to win the Super Bowl?