BountyGate ~ Saints take it in the.......

[Bababooey]

Yes, that was wrong of Sapp to do it. He's not the brightest guy but i didn't think he'd do something that scandalous. Maybe as a former defensive player (who knows, maybe he participated in a bounty program or two in his day) he felt the snitch was wrong to out a psychological tool used by some teams to motivate their defensive players to hit harder. Such hits sometimes being as damaging to deliver as to receive - many injuries, including paralysis, have been caused by defensive players colliding with each other.

 

[Stoner4Life]

Sapp's a small potato in a big garden, if he knew the bottom line was as heavy as it is I doubt he still would've wanted to be the big shot announcing that news. I just didn't care for his attitude about calling anyone a snitch as stated above, whoever blew the whistle did the right thing.

 

[Pseudo]

stoner4 as always right on, ban sapp for being a douchebag,or should be forced to wear a red weave, high heels and shockey jersey to keep his job, sanctions against saints should include: eliminate coin toss, saints kick each half from 10 yard line, no draft picks till 2017, no locker room priviliges, must use car or bathroom in concourse, cheerleaders replaced by homeless street whores, new uniforms to be pastel rainbow design sewn from goodwill donations must be worn for 16 games and not washed, saints defensive players should be forced to donate 80% of this years paycheck to fund for injured players or face lifetime ban, saints coaching staff should be forced to wear highwaters, pink polo shirts, and paper bags on head, and the lombardi trophy should be driven over by brett farves tractor

 

[PetFlora]

Shockey was cleared of being the snitch, not that there's anything wrong with snitching to protect ones' fellow man from harm of any kind

 

[Stoner4Life]

Pseudo, tough on crime. Pumps you want them bitches to be wearing pumps off the field.......

 

[Stoner4Life]

Sapp files Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Sapp files Chapter 7 Bankruptcy



Easy to see why Sapp seems so snarky these days.......


ORLANDO, Fla

Former NFL star Warren Sapp has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Florida, with court documents showing that he has racked up $6.7 million in debts, TMZ reported Friday.

In the court documents, Sapp says he has $6.45 million in assets — including items such as 240 pairs of Jordan sneakers and sandals, a lion skin rug, and a boxing glove signed by Muhammad Ali.

One obvious item missing from the list, however, is Sapp's 2002 Super Bowl ring from his days with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the celebrity website reported.

Among his debts, 39-year-old Sapp reportedly owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in child support and nearly $1 million to the IRS.

The TMZ report did not say where in Florida that Sapp, who was born in Orlando, filed for bankruptcy.

After being selected 12th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft after a successful college career at the University of Miami, Sapp enjoyed a 12-year-career with the Bucs and Raiders -- becoming one of the NFL's most dominant defensive players and winning selection to seven Pro Bowls. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1999.

 

[Bababooey]

See, now he'll have no money and Shockey has no reason to sue him, can't get blood out of turnip.
Anyone actually believe he lost his Super Bowl ring? U know that thing is sitting in a safe deposit box somewhere, or it's at his mom's house.

Can we start a Petrino thread here? Anyone think he got a raw deal? He's a scumbag and all but hey, what coach isn't banging some intern or fundraiser girl or grad student or trainer? They set Hogs football back 5 years by firing him now...

 

[Stoner4Life]

All suspensions were upheld & Joe Vitt will be head coach after his 6 game bump, Goodell said he may consider modifying what draft pick the team loses in 2013 if the Saints organization cooperates completely w/the ongoing investigation.

Saints fans would call that snitchin'


Like Pete Rose in baseball I think Gregg Williams is going to be the proverbial 'head on a silver platter'. With Goodell's & the NFL's stance on head injuries causing long term health issues they'd look like hypocrites allowing that douche bag back in the league.

It would be best for the sport if Williams was gone for good, nobody would ever have to wonder or worry that he was up to his old tricks again.

He'll be gone, we won't even look back.......

 

[Bababooey]

Now we have Eavesdropping-Gate.
When it rains it pours, I guess...

 

[Stoner4Life]

just a smattering of suspensions for offending players.......

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton and other front-office members of the organization are already paying a heavy price for their involvement in a bounty scandal.

Now, it’s the players’ turn.

The NFL announced Wednesday that four current and former Saints players are being suspended for portions of the 2012 season.

The harshest penalty was levied to Saints middle linebacker Jon Vilma. He was banned for the entire 2012 campaign.

Saints defensive end Will Smith received a four-game suspension. Two ex-Saints — Green Bay defensive end Anthony Hargrove (eight games) and linebacker Scott Fujita (three) — also were sanctioned.

All four players are expected to appeal the suspensions and have three days to make that filing. The NFL Players Association, which has chided the league’s investigation and handling of the matter, is expected to work vehemently on trying to get the suspensions overturned. There also may be legal action taken by some or all of the players that falls outside the parameters of the league’s disciplinary policy.

"After seeing the NFL's decision letters, the NFLPA has still not received any detailed or specific evidence from the league of these specific players' involvement in an alleged pay-to-injure program," the NFLPA said in a statement following the league’s ruling.

"We have made it clear that punishment without evidence is not fair. We have spoken with our players and their representatives and we will vigorously protect and pursue all options on their behalf."

Vilma’s suspension begins immediately. Smith, Hargrove and Fujita are allowed to remain working with their teams until the start of the regular season.

The punishment stems from varying degrees of involvement by the quartet in a bounty system that offered financial incentives for “knock-out” or “cart-off” hits on opposing offensive players between 2009 and 2011.

“It is the obligation of everyone, including the players on the field, to ensure that rules designed to promote player safety, fair play, and the integrity of the game are adhered to and effectively and consistently enforced,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a press release. “Respect for the men that play the game starts with the way players conduct themselves with each other on the field.”

As part of an investigation, the NFL uncovered that Vilma offered a $10,000 reward for any Saints player who knocked out Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner or Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre in two playoff games during the 2009 season. The league also claims that Vilma helped fund and establish the bounty system with ex-Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was suspended indefinitely in March for his role as the program’s ring leader.

Smith was accused of doing the same thing as a Saints defensive captain.

“Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Smith pledged significant sums to the program pool for ‘cart-offs’ and ‘knockouts’ of opposing players,” the NFL’s press release said.

Fujita’s suspension stems from money he allegedly contributed into the bounty pool. Fujita also was the Saints’ NFLPA representative.

Hargrove’s punishment is more severe because he lied to the NFL about the existence of the program to league investigators in 2010. Hargrove also had signed a declaration denying the existence of the bounty system. The NFL announced that Hargrove told at least one other player on another team that there was a bounty on Favre in the NFC Championship Game.

Other players participated in the bounty program to varying degrees but aren’t facing suspension. Goodell said his player discipline focused on players who:

X: Held leadership positions for the Saints.

X: Contributed a particularly large sum of money toward the program.

X: Specifically contributed to a bounty on an opposing player.

X: Demonstrated a clear intent to participate in a program that potentially injured opposing players and sought rewards for doing so.

X: Obstructed the 2010 investigation.

“No bounty program can exist without active player participation,” Goodell said. “The evidence clearly showed that the players being held accountable today willingly and enthusiastically embraced the bounty program. Players put the vast majority of the money into this program and they share responsibility for playing by the rules and protecting each other within those rules.”

The league announced that the NFLPA conducted its own investigation into the bounty scandal but failed to share its findings before the punishments were levied.

“A number of current and former players, including each player disciplined today, were offered the opportunity to be interviewed with counsel present,” the NFL release states. “One player (Hargrove) submitted a written statement in which he did not dispute the existence of the program, but no player agreed to be interviewed in person.”

Audio released last month by a documentary filmmaker revealed Williams insinuated that he would personally pay any player who forced San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith out of last season’s second-round playoff game. Williams also advocated blows to the head of specific 49ers players, which flew in the face of Goodell’s safety initiatives related to concussions.

Payton (one season), general manager Mickey Loomis (eight games) and assistant head coach Joe Vitt (six games) were punished for not doing enough to stop the bounty system after repeated NFL warnings. The Saints also were fined $500,000 and stripped of 2012 and 2013 second-round draft choices.

The NFL has said it may consider lessening the draft-pick penalty depending on whether the Saints comply with league rules and how the team fares in 2012.

Vitt is serving as the Saints’ interim head coach in Payton’s absence. The team has not decided who will handle the coaching duties when Vitt serves his suspension at the start of the regular season.

The NFL also announced Wednesday that a memo was sent to all 32 franchises Wednesday reemphasizing that any program involving non-contract bonuses violates league rules like higher-paid veterans contributing to a fund rewarding special-teams players for key tackles and forced turnovers.

Each NFL team will be required to review these rules with players and coaches before the start of the regular season. The league also will be developing programs to teach safe and fair play. The NFL said that several Saints employees have expressed “strong interest” in helping on that front.

 

[Stoner4Life]

Jonathon Vilma:
Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma appealed his season-long suspension under the NFL's bounty investigation, which named him as a ringleader of the cash-for-hits system.

In papers filed Monday, Vilma argued that Commissioner Roger Goodell should not hear the appeal and asked for a delay in the process until the jurisdictional issue has been settled through NFL Players Association grievances filed last week.

Vilma's appeal also says the NFL has failed to present evidence linking him to a system in which players were paid to injure opponents. It asks the league to provide documentation, including witness statements and the names of those witnesses.

Vilma was one of four players given suspensions of various lengths as a result of the NFL's bounty probe, along with Saints defensive end Will Smith (four games) and former Saints Anthony Hargrove (eight games) and Scott Fujita (three games).

The NFLPA sent the NFL a letter Monday reserving the other three players' appeal rights until the question of who hears the cases has been sorted out. Hargrove now is with Green Bay and Fujita with Cleveland.

''I disagree wholeheartedly with the discipline imposed,'' Fujita said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. ''I've yet to hear the specifics of any allegation against me, nor have I seen any evidence that supports what the NFL alleges.

''I look forward to the opportunity to confront what evidence they claim to have in the appropriate forum,'' continued Fujita, a member of the NFLPA's executive committee. ''I have never contributed money to any so-called `bounty' pool, and any statements to the contrary are false. To say I'm disappointed with the League would be a huge understatement.''

The players union grievances argue that Goodell is prohibited from punishing players for any aspect of the case occurring before the new collective bargaining agreement was signed last August. It argues that a CBA system arbitrator, and not Goodell, has the authority to decide player punishment under such circumstances, as well as rule on any appeals.

Vilma's latest filing not only reiterates those arguments but also states that the NFL still has not provided ''a single piece of evidence'' to the Saints defensive captain to justify the suspension handed down to him last Wednesday.

''To be able to share, discuss and analyze the supposed evidence that has been gathered is a fundamental cornerstone of a fair and just process, and a vital prerequisite to uncovering the truth,'' wrote Vilma's attorney, Peter Ginsburg. ''Indeed, the failure of the NFL to conduct itself in a just manner has compromised the process and resulted in erroneous and damaging conclusions.''

Vilma's legal team now wants to see if the league has evidence that would show Vilma pledged, made or received bounty payments - items such as account ledgers of improper cash bonuses, payment slips or other documents.

Vilma also asks to review any video or audio evidence that the NFL has, including video from games or any statistical analysis of Vilma's on-field performances.

Last week, former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White, who was hired by the NFL to evaluate its bounty investigation, said there was evidence from ''multiple independent sources'' that shows players received payments for hits on targeted opponents.

The NFL has said its investigation included 18,000 documents comprising nearly 50,000 pages.

White said the NFL has shared ample evidence with suspended players and the NFLPA, and she also said that concealing the identity of witnesses is important in terms of not only protecting those who help investigations but encouraging more to step forward in the future.

According to the league, Vilma offered $10,000 to any player who knocked then-Cardinals QB Warner out of a playoff game at the end of the 2009 season, and the same amount for knocking then-Vikings QB Favre out of that season's NFC championship game. The Saints beat the Vikings and then defeated Indianapolis to win their only Super Bowl title.

The Saints already have been punished heavily in connection with the bounties probe.

Head coach Sean Payton has been suspended the entire 2012 season, while suspensions of eight games were handed down to general manager Mickey Loomis and six games to assistant head coach Joe Vitt. The club also was fined $500,000 and docked two second-round draft choices this year and next. Meanwhile, former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who admitted to running the bounty program from 2009-11, has been suspended indefinitely. Williams is currently with the St. Louis Rams.

lmfmfao, Vilma's legal team want Goodell to show receipts for cash payments as proof of the bounty system??? That's it idiots, keep pissing Goodell off.




Anthony Hargrove:
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- With an eight-game suspension hanging over his head, new Packers defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove submitted a declaration to the NFL about his involvement in the New Orleans Saints' bounty program. Hargrove played for the Saints from 2009 to 2010 and was one of four players to receive punishment from the NFL for a role in a defense that targeted certain players and tried to injure others in exchange for financial payouts.

The declaration, which was obtained by Yahoo! Sports, describes in detail of how Hargrove was told to lie to the NFL by his defensive coaches, including the suspended Gregg Williams and Joe Vitt.

"Williams said he was going to deny the existence of any bounty on any player to the NFL, and I should deny it, too," Hargrove wrote in the letter. "Coach Williams said: ‘Those [expletives at the NFL] have been trying to get to me for years,"and if we all "stay on the same page, this will blow over."

Hargrove added that, prior to meeting with the NFL and lying about any bounty system being in place, Williams told him that he would be "plugged in at left end," Hargrove's prefered position, presumably for an opportunity to start. After meeting with the NFL in their investigation, Hargrove believes he was then never given an honest opportunity at that starting position.

"Coach Vitt also told me that I should deny the existence of any bounty or bounty program, and he told me to remember that he was the person who ‘brought [me] into the League and brought [me] to the Saints," Hargrove wrote in his declaration to the NFL. "They (Williams and Vitt) told me that when the NFL asked me about any bounty or bounty program, I should ‘just play dumb.'"

Hargrove continues on to write in his letter that he was asked by an NFL security person if there had been a bounty on Brett Favre," and as instructed by Coach Williams and Coach Vitt, I denied all knowledge of a bounty or bounty program."

A week later, Hargrove wrote that Williams asked him, "Did you stick the story?"

"I told him that I responded to all of the NFL's questions as he and Coach Vitt had instructed me: I denied any knowledge of a bounty program."

When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell handed down the suspension to the four players, including Hargrove, it was because they were participating in the "pay-for-performance/bounty program."

In Hargrove's case specifically, he was punished for "actively obstructing" the league's investigation into the bounty program in 2010 by lying to investigators.

Even if Hargrove's suspension is upheld, he will be able to participate in all offseason activities, including preseason games. His eight-game suspension would begin Week 1 of the regular season, and he would be allowed to return in Week 9.

I'll say it again, that's the last we've seen of Gregg Williams.......

 

[Stoner4Life]

NFLPA to have Boutygate grievance heard.....

NFLPA to have Boutygate grievance heard.....

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...s-bountygate-grievance-heard-wednesday-051412


The NFL players' union will have its grievance against the league in the Saints bounties case heard Wednesday by arbitrator Shyam Das.

The union claims NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn't have the authority to hand out discipline for player conduct that occurred before the current collective bargaining agreement was finalized last August. The players argue that a CBA arbitrator, and not Goodell, has the right to decide player punishment under such circumstances, as well as rule on any appeals.

The NFLPA also maintains that appeals for on-field behavior should be heard by appeals officers Art Shell and Ted Cottrell, not the commissioner.

Goodell suspended four players, including linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the 2012 season, after the league's investigation uncovered the bounties program. Also suspended were Saints defensive end Will Smith; linebacker Scott Fujita, now with Cleveland; and DE Anthony Hargrove, now with Green Bay.

It's gonna fall on deaf ears, Goodell still has the authority to rule in every aspect of this investigation, it's also the last time he'll ever be able to wield such power again. The latest collective bargaining agreement clearly continued to allow Goodell the power to rule in any ongoing investigations which certainly included this one having started in 2009.

 

[Stoner4Life]

Suspended Saints won't get NFL help.....

Suspended Saints won't get NFL help.....

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...heard-they-should-turn-to-court-system-050212


A month ago, many thought Jonathan Vilma’s suspension would amount to four games. Then again, few NFL club personnel had a really good understanding of how revolted NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was with the Saints’ bounty system, from defensive coordinator Gregg Williams instituting the multi-year practice to his star linebacker actually putting $10,000 on the table, a bonus if any of his teammates could knock then-Vikings quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game.

In retrospect, a few Saints sure looked like they wanted that ten grand. They put a beating on Favre that night in the Superdome, and referee Pete Morelli missed more than a few low, knee-buckling shots on the quarterback half the world seemed to hate. And to many Minnesota fans, those missed calls and others were the difference between their team advancing to the Super Bowl against Peyton Manning in Miami.

And, believe me, these suspensions, announced on Wednesday, are no consolation.

For Vilma, who heard on ESPN that he can’t play and won’t be paid this season, this suspension might end his big-money career. He missed five games last season because of bad knees and he’ll be 31 in 2013. Now, the Saints may want him back, but it’s unlikely they will pay him $3-4 million a season?

Anthony Hargrove, who was signed by the Packer-hating Favres, is suspended for eight games. Hargrove, who took two cheap shots against Favre in the championship game, also lied in his testimony to the league.

Will Smith — the Saints’ most-gifted front-seven defender — is suspended for four games and criticized for not being a better team leader.

Scott Fujita, who left the Saints after their Super Bowl season, received a three-game suspension. Fujita currently plays for the Browns and, ironically, is an influential member of the NFL Players Association executive committee.

Yes, all four of these players can appeal to Goodell.

But what a waste of time that would be!

Saints coach Sean Payton already failed in his appeal so these players have no chance of having their punishment reduced, considering Goodell is judge and jury on the appeal process, too.

This is why is makes perfect sense for all four players to go to federal court, or any court, to try to get injunctive relief against the loss of work and pay.

I must admit that this seems like an impossible situation for players like Fujita and the NFL Players Association. How can the union defend Fujita and his former teammates while also advocating for player safety? Granted, the union has never liked that Goodell (or any commissioner) has such ultimate discipline power, but they’ve agreed in collective bargaining talks to such a process. Also, by defending the Bounty players, does that mean that the NFLPA is OK with offensive players being intentionally hurt?

It’s the ultimate Catch-22 for the union and for Fujita, who is a very decent, family-orientated adult. It’s a further example that many NFL players are different between the white lines than they are in every-day life.

From Goodell’s perspective, he’s disappointed in a player like Fujita for not standing up to his coach and his teammates for this reckless behavior. But in Fujita’s defense, he is just one player and coaches like Williams and Payton decide his fate. Had Fujita spoken up or criticized the Bounty system, he may have been benched or released. Who knows what would have happened?

And we all know that people who squeal can often be black-balled. The public honors whistle-blowers, but that’s not how most coaches view such matters.

The NFLPA continues to use as its excuse that the Goodell has never presented them with hard evidence of the pay-to-injure bounty system, but does anyone really believe that Williams or any of the players actually kept a notebook or a ledger of such hits? But bounties have always been a word-of-mouth affair; something players talk about.

From the very beginning, many believe that Goodell and the league office has come down hard on the Saints and the players involved because of pending lawsuits (more than 1,200 former players are involved) regarding concussions and other head-trauma related injuries. Do these head injuries lead to dementia and to early Alzheimer’s? The league has attempted to get out in front of these issues and there are no definitive health results. But you can bet when they defend their billion-dollar enterprise in the courts, they will use these suspensions and fines as examples that they are trying to curb on-field violence.

To long-time fans of pro football, and even to Hall of Famers, the game has been forever violent. In the 1970s, Steelers coach Chuck Noll went as far as suing the Oakland Raiders for having a criminal element style of playing football. Noll didn’t win the case, but you get the understanding that pro football has been guilty at times of crossing the competitive line.

Quarterbacks have been thrown on their heads. I remember, as a youngster in Pittsburgh, looking at the famous photo of blood rolling down Y.A. Tittle’s bald head back in 1964.

The enlarged photo was in a Pittsburgh bank window. And maybe the Pittsburgh fans were proud that it was a few Steelers who did the damage to Tittle?

Pro football is rough enough, the violence at such a high speed, that cheap hits — the so-called bounty hits — should be outlawed and penalized. Still, it will be interesting to see if the legal system agrees with Goodell or cuts these four players a break. A judge may demand damning testimony and hard evidence.

 

[megayields]

Thank god for Roger Goodell.

 

[Stoner4Life]

Thank god for Roger Goodell.

hey, I've always said he's a pompous piece of shit too heavy handed with his fines but the Saints were not only lying but blatantly continued w/a bounty program during Goodells 3 year investigation of it, how fucking dumb can you be knowing Goodell was gonna be the one doling out the punishment when caught.

spitting in the face of the league by going after guys heads to 'test' their ability to maintain after being diagnosed w/concussions. you reap what you sow and I think that Williams will never be allowed back in the league for his offenses. the only thing to possibly save him might be that after these punishments are handed out & played out the absolute power is taken from Goodells hands, it may be up to a more liberal panel to allow him back in later.

I'm a few years older than him but my sister graduated w/Roger Goodell, everyone @ Bronxville HS hated the fucker back then too, he always had that cocky 'my shit don't stink' attitude of a spoiled prick.......

 

[Stoner4Life]

so Vilma is suing Roger Goodell.......


http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...famation-lawsuit-against-roger-goodell-051712
Vilma sues NFL commish Goodell

Suspended Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, claiming the league's top executive made false statements that tarnished Vilma's reputation and hindered his ability to earn a living playing football.

The suit in U.S. District Court in New Orleans claims Goodell, ''relied on, at best, hearsay, circumstantial evidence and lies'' in making comments about Vilma while discussing the NFL's bounty investigation of the New Orleans Saints.

Goodell has said Vilma was a leader of the team's bounty program that put up thousands of dollars for hits which took out opposing teams' star players from 2009 to 2011, including $10,000 each on then-Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and then-Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre during the playoffs in 2010.

''Commissioner Goodell opted to make very public and unfortunately erroneous allegations against Jonathan,'' said Vilma's attorney, Peter Ginsberg. ''By making these false and public statements, he has significantly harmed Jonathan's reputation and ability to make a living.

''By suing Commissioner Goodell in court, Jonathan opted to use a fair playing field where he has procedural rights and protections to remedy the harm Commissioner Goodell has done to him.''

Vilma wrote on his Twitter account that, ''As I've said before..I NEVER PAID, NOR INTENDED TO PAY ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY, TO ANY PLAYER FOR INTENTIONALLY HURTING AN OPPONENT.''

Goodell has suspended Vilma, an eight-year veteran and defensive captain, for the entire 2012 season. Vilma and three other current of former Saints who received shorter suspensions — defensive end Will Smith, defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove and linebacker Scott Fujita — all have appealed their punishments. Hargrove now plays for Green Bay while Fujita is with Cleveland.

''We have not yet reviewed the filing,'' NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. ''However, our commitment to player safety and the integrity of the game is our main consideration. We recognize that not everyone will agree with decisions that need to be made.''

The NFL also hired former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White in late 2011 to review its evidence in the case, and White has said the NFL's findings are corroborated by multiple independent witnesses as well as documentation.

Vilma's lawsuit, which is expected to be heard by Judge Ginger Berrigan, asks for unspecified monetary damages as well as punitive damage and attorneys fees.

The lawsuit states that Goodell, ''knew and intended that Vilma would suffer severe emotional distress'' when the NFL published its bounty report and handed down punishment for the 30-year-old linebacker.

''Vilma will soon have to leave behind the world of professional football and will likely face difficulties in obtaining other employment and entering into new ventures as a result of Goodell's false and defamatory statements,'' the lawsuit said. ''Media will forever mention his name in the context of the Bounty investigation and fans will forever remember Vilma with ill repute rather than remember his substantial accomplishments on and off the field.''

The players' association has said that the league has refused to turn over what the union would view as hard evidence that Vilma or the other sanctioned players tried to intentionally injure targeted opponents, or sponsored such behavior.

''It is certainly the case that in court, Jonathan will have a right to see whatever it is that Commissioner Goodell has been hiding from us and what Commissioner Goodell contends gave him a basis to make these false allegations,'' Ginsberg said. ''We will have a fair and neutral judge to preside over the dispute rather than contending with the executioner also being the person making the final decision.''


Vilma's lawsuit states that the linebacker ''never 'pledged,' made or received payments of any kind encouraging or resulting from an opposing player being injured.''

The NFL found that former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams oversaw a bounty program in New Orleans from 2009 to 2011 which paid off-the-books cash bonuses of $1,500 for ''knockouts,'' or hits which forced a player out of games, and $1,000 for ''cart-offs,'' which left players needing help off the field.

The Saints have been punished harshly as an organization. Head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for all of 2012 for failing to put a stop to the program and attempting to cover it up, while general manager Mickey Loomis has been suspended eight games and assistant head coach Joe Vitt six games. The club also was fined $500,000 and docked two second-round draft picks.

Williams, now with St. Louis, has been suspended indefinitely.

Payton, Loomis and Williams all have issued written public apologies regarding the bounty scandal.

I'm not exactly sure but I believe that 'whistle blowers' are protected by secrecy even in lawsuits which are nothing more than a handful of meaningless words put on paper and paying a processing fee by some shyster (Ginsberg) filing suit and insisting on knowing the sources. Here's my other thought on this, the coaching staff has acknowledged the bounty program but Vilma the Saints defensive captain would like us all to believe he was kept blissfully unaware of it, I don't friggin' buy it.

 

[trouble]

Down in New Orleans, in the land of dreamy-dreams, Saints Fans are suffering from a "Who Dat Heart-Break!"

Tom Benson best get his auto-dealerships to move some cars off the lots to pay his bills.

 

[ZippyThePinhead]

I would hate to be Drew Brees this season, there are going to be some teams looking for payback.

 

[Stoner4Life]

I would hate to be Drew Brees this season, there are going to be some teams looking for payback.

I'll bet a team or three will be harboring hard feelings but due at least in part to the current tenor of the NFL & their willingness to assess great penalties he can at the very least be assured there won't actually be a bounty on his head.......