Football Bounty Payments: Tax Law to the Rescue

The New Orleans Saints NFL team supposedly paid cash bounties to defensive players who injured opponents.  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/03/sports/football/nfl-says-saints-had-bounty-program-to-injure-opponents.html?hp.  I doubt that those payments were reported as income by the recipients, or reported to the IRS by the payors.  If the justice system can’t convict the batterers, the tax system may be able to go after them.  Like Al Capone.