New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton issued a statement through the team on Tuesday, their first public statements since the NFL released the findings of its investigation into a "pay for performance" system instituted by the team and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
Loomis and Payton acknowledged the violations disclosed by the league's investigation and jointly took "full responsibility."
"This has brought undue hardship on (owner Tom) Benson, who had nothing to do with this activity," the statement read. "He has been nothing but supportive and for that we both apologize to him.
"These are serious violations and we understand the negative impact it has had on our game. Both of us have made it clear within our organization that this will never happen again, and make that same promise to the NFL and most importantly to all of our fans."
The statement from Loomis and Payton comes four days after the NFL first released its findings this past Friday.
The league is expected to level punishment this month and its discipline for Williams, who allegedly instituted a "bounty" program during his three-year tenure with the Saints.
Williams met with league security Monday in New York to discuss the investigation, a meeting NFL.com's Steve Wyche reported was not held at NFL headquarters and did not include Commissioner Roger Goodell.
