49ers safety Donte Whitner touched on several bounty-related topics in this FoxSports.com article, but here are a couple of the highlights:
On the extent of the bounty punishments given to the New Orleans Saints:
Those are my teammates, Whitner said. If those things are true, I think its really disgusting and something should be done about it to a higher extreme than what is (already done). Youre out there intending to hurt guys. This is their careers and how they take care of their families."
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SIGN UP HERE On whether the 49ers ever use an opponent's injury to their advantage, such as the Giants' Hakeem Nicks (hamstring) last November:
We knew we could get up in his face and jam him and he really couldnt get the deep ball, Whitner said. But were not out there to hurt guys. If a guy has a concussion, were not out there trying to hit him in the head. If he has a (surgically repaired anterior cruciate ligament), were not trying to hit him in the knee to see if his ACL is OK."
On his helmet-to-helmet hit on the Saints' Pierre Thomas during the playoffs:
I didnt go out intentionally to hurt him, Whitner said. Whenever I play and somebody has the football, I want to hit them as hard as I possibly can without injuring myself and intentionally injuring them. But I want to hit you as hard as I can. Its my job."