Saints Player Suspensions

[HOU-TEX]

Jonathan Vilma - Entire year, beginning now
Anthony Hargrove - 8 games
Will Smith - 4 games
Scott Fujita - 3 games

Hargrove, Smith and Fujita can attend offseason activities. Vilma's suspension starts now

[Texan_Bill]

Just heard this..... OUCH!!!!!

[toronto]

Originally Posted by Texan_Bill

Just heard this..... OUCH!!!!!

Mods, kill my thread...

As i said there - one final lesson to the rest of the NFL

DON'T SCREW WITH ROGER GOODELL

[HOU-TEX]

Originally Posted by Texan_Bill

Just heard this..... OUCH!!!!!

Yup, big OUCH.

Vilma hired a lawyer before the suspension. I'm not sure what his plans are, but the appeals will be heard by...........the Commisioner. lol

[Dutchrudder]

Fujita is on the Browns, so they are the team that gets hurt by this. Just like the Gregg Williams in STL thing, the Saints don't incur the penalty. Thanks for sitting on this for a couple years Goodell...

[Playoffs]

NFLPA will fight this, IMO.

[Thorn]

Any player or coach that took part in any of this, in any way, should be permanently kicked out of the NFL. No exceptions. Screw 'em.

Anybody that takes part in a pay for hire injury scheme should never be allowed anywhere near professional sports. Not even as a frigging commentator.

[toronto]

Originally Posted by Dutchrudder

Fujita is on the Browns, so they are the team that gets hurt by this. Just like the Gregg Williams in STL thing, the Saints don't incur the penalty. Thanks for sitting on this for a couple years Goodell...

He didn't sit on it. The second the lie was confirmed and he could prove it, its been bedlam ever since.

The NFLPA can fight this all they want, they won't win. Even if they get the suspensions reversed, all 32 NFL owners will collude here and keep these 4 players unemployed and unpaid.

[HOU-TEX]

Originally Posted by Dutchrudder

Fujita is on the Browns, so they are the team that gets hurt by this. Just like the Gregg Williams in STL thing, the Saints don't incur the penalty. Thanks for sitting on this for a couple years Goodell...

Hargrove was signed by the Packers, I believe

Originally Posted by Playoffs

NFLPA will fight this, IMO.

I think they were involved. Whether or not they signed off on the actual suspension time is unknown.

[gwallaia]

What do I tell my Saints friends who say, "Every team does it."?

[HOU-TEX]

Originally Posted by gwallaia

What do I tell my Saints friends who say, "Every team does it."?

Tell them they're full of crap

[The1ApplePie]

Originally Posted by gwallaia

What do I tell my Saints friends who say, "Every team does it."?

Tell them they should have been better about covering it up

[XI CMURDER IX]

Originally Posted by Playoffs

NFLPA will fight this, IMO.

Jason La Canfora ‏ @JasonLaCanfora

Talking to legal/CBA experts. They don't see too many legal options for these players outside of the league office appeal. We shall see

[Dutchrudder]

Originally Posted by toronto

He didn't sit on it. The second the lie was confirmed and he could prove it, its been bedlam ever since.

The NFLPA can fight this all they want, they won't win. Even if they get the suspensions reversed, all 32 NFL owners will collude here and keep these 4 players unemployed and unpaid.

I'm not sure what the exact timeline was, but from what I have read it seems that the NFL asked the Saints GM Loomis to put an end to the program a few times. I believe the first time was the offseason after their Super Bowl. Sounds like they took their time investigating it.

[Dutchrudder]

Originally Posted by gwallaia

What do I tell my Saints friends who say, "Every team does it."?

There was a study done that showed in the United States, there is just one arrest for every 27,000 miles driven while drunk. That means you could drive from NY to LA several times, completely hammered and probably not get pulled over. Just because you are that one guy that gets arrested for driving drunk doesn't mean everyone else who does it is OK. The system doesn't catch everyone, but those that do get caught have to face the consequences. The Saints are the ones that got caught this time, in the future it may be someone else.

[ChampionTexan]

Originally Posted by HOU-TEX

I think they were involved. Whether or not they signed off on the actual suspension time is unknown.

Don't think they signed off:

Update: The NFL Players Association released the following statement from executive director DeMaurice Smith regarding the players' role in the Saints' pay-to-injure program: "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. 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."

LINK

They're walking a fine line since it's their players putting bounties on their players, so they could do a complete 180 if the proof is provided, but it could well be that they're just putting their heads in the sand about this, making some noise about it to save face, and waiting for the whole thing to go away.

[Playoffs]

Originally Posted by XI CMURDER IX

Jason La Canfora ‏ @JasonLaCanfora

Talking to legal/CBA experts. They don't see too many legal options for these players outside of the league office appeal. We shall see

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Packers defensive end Anthony Hargrove, Saints defensive end Will Smith and Browns linebacker Scott Fujita have all already decided that they will appeal...

The appeals were widely anticipated, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the players expect to go beyond the usual appeals process within the league office and instead expect to go to federal court.

“Get ready for a massive legal battle on many fronts,” Schefter quoted a source as saying.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...-legal-battle/

[Stemp]

Yeah, but they are covered under the agreement signed by the union which is part of the contracts they signed.

Plus the NFL got anti-trust exemptions from Congress. Unless they can show that the NFL is not following the union agreements or that they are violating their civil rights somehow () then I don't expect the players to be able to win. If the feds overrule the commissioner, you can bet that any player that get suspended from here on out sues to stop it.

[Blake]

Patriots get 3 super bowls from spygate, Saints get 1 from bountygate.

Apparently the saying "if you aint cheatin, you aint tryin" is valid in the NFL as well.

[The Pencil Neck]

Originally Posted by Blake

Patriots get 3 super bowls from spygate, Saints get 1 from bountygate.

Apparently the saying "if you aint cheatin, you aint tryin" is valid in the NFL as well.

So when are the Giants and Steelers going to get popped?