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Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove and Will Smith also suspended for role in Saints' "bounty" scandal.
Per Twitter....
Four Saints players suspended by NFL for bounties; linebacker Jonathan Vilma for 2012 season.
Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove and Will Smith also suspended for role in Saints' "bounty" scandal.
http://inagist.com/all/197715871328763905/
#NFL announces Jonathan Vilma has been suspended for the 2012 season. Hargrove gets 8 games. Will Smith 4 games. Fujita 3 games. #Saints
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Could have been much worse... Vilma was to be expected. Will Smith is a career underachiever, Fujita is on the Browns.
Vilma was injured much of last year anyway and when he came back it looked like he had lost a step. Only 2 current Saints players affected... definitely manageable. Clearly the biggest loss will be Sean Payton.
Vilma banned for year
Updated: May 2, 2012, 12:05 PM ET
ESPN.com news services
The NFL suspended four players for their roles in the New Orleans Saints' bounty system, including linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the entire 2012 season.
In addition to Vilma, defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove (now with the Green Bay Packers) was suspended eight games, defensive Will Smith four games and linebacker Scott Fujita (now with the Cleveland Browns) three games.
All of the suspensions are without pay. The players are en led to appeal the decision within three days. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would hear their appeals.
The Saints seemingly had been bracing for the loss of Vilma, bolstering their linebacker corps through free agency. Linebackers Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne were among the team's signings this offseason.
A league investigation found that from 2009-11 New Orleans coaches and players put together a bounty system that paid out improper cash bonuses for hits aimed at knocking opposing players out of games. The NFL says as many as 27 Saints participated.
Goodell already has suspended Saints coach Sean Payton for the 2012 season and fined the team $500,000. Saints former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely, New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis begins an eight-game ban after the preseason, and interim coach Joe Vitt begins serves his six-game suspension at the same time.
Payton's suspension began April 16 and runs through the Super Bowl, which, incidentally, is in New Orleans. During that time, Payton may not even have casual, non-football conversations with anyone on any NFL team without at least notifying the league office.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
daaaaaaamn....this is gonna be an interesting season.
Sucks for Vilma.
The Saints were prepared. That's why they signed 3 linebackers in FA. Smith will only miss 4 games. This isn't that bad at all.
Dog n pony show joke.
Only reason Godel is playing the game is because of the 1,000 and counting lawsuits against NFL. Putting on an act like the NFL is doing something about it.
Which they are, don't get me wrong. 40 years too late.
So if you put a lot of money into the injure-for-pay thing you got wrung up. If you put "medium" or *small* money into injure for pay you got off scott free.
New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has filed a lawsuit against Roger Goodell
05/17/12 2:25PM Subscribe to Post Flag Post
James Varney, The Times-Picayune
New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has on Vilma filed suit in Eastern District (federal) court in Louisiana today. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a defendant.
New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has sued NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Vilma claims he was defamed by Goodell's public comments regarding him (Vilma) and the Saints alleged bounty system.
See the entire suit here: Vilma v. Goodell Complaint
moron
Vilma is approaching a Clemens/Pete Rose level of denial in the face of overwhelming evidence against you.
What evidence? The evidence Goodell won't release?
All Goodell has to do to put this to sleep is release the damning evidence he claims to have. I've been a fan of pretty much everything he's done as commish, but if he made anything up about Vilma or the evidence he has, thats grounds for him to lose his job.
I agree. Goodell has no evidence against Vilma except someone's word of mouth, which isn't real evidence at all. Vilma knows it too, that's why he filed this lawsuit.
Goodell knows there are hundreds of former players lining up with lawsuits against the NFL over concussions and lack of player safety from the past, so he thought making an example of Saints players would make him look like he cared about improving player safety.
The bounty stuff was Gregg Williams doing. What were the players supposed to do? Not listen to him, and defy him?
Last edited by Darth_Pelican; 05-18-2012 at 10:26 AM.
Vilma's suspension to be reduced.
Roger Goodell thinking he's God until the real law gets involved. Where's the overwhelming evidence?
http://m.espn.go.com/nfl/story?storyId=8238319
If I were Vilma's attorneys I would tell the NFL to stick that offer up their asses and either waive the entire suspension or be prepared to go through the entire legal process.
Of course the NFL is denying that it has offered anything since it knows that a settlement offer where they don't have to back their claims up with evidence is pretty damning.
Unless the NFL starts turning over actual evidence, Vilma is gonna be able to file for summary judgement and play this year.
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