Comments on: Vilma asks Goodell to recuse himself as all four Saints file appeals

By: mrpowers88

mrpowers88 — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 01:48:06 +0000

Hey Vilma,

If you have a problem with the process you’re being suspended under, how ’bout you start pointing fingers at EVERYONE involved?

The union leadership refused to sacrifice anything in exchange for Goodell losing his authority over discipline procedures- and on top of that, continued to neglect their duties when the salary cap came up for calculation this year (but that’s a story for another day). Vilma won’t get anywhere trying to get to Goodell through the courts for the sole reason that this was collectively bargained.

The ONLY players who have ground to complain about the current system is the Steelers. You don’t like it? Wait 8 years when the CBA comes up for negotiation next.

By: voyager6

voyager6 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:52:42 +0000

If the NFLPA had negotiated a more suitable (to them) punishment that removes the comissioner from the process, they would have had to give up something major in return.

The grand purpose of the lawsuits is to render the punishment part of the CBA permanantly impotent. If they win in court, the NFLPA will likely try to dictate an acceptible process for (minimal) player punishment without having to give up anything in return.

By: dadindebt6

dadindebt6 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:47:55 +0000

I keep hearing all the Saints fans saying there is NO evidence and that all evidence has been disproved. What about the statements that Goodell put in all the suspension letters that all four players admitted to ‘cart offs’. Not one player is denying that they admitted to this. Whether you like it or not, this is Goodell’s definition of ‘bounty.’ It appears that the judge in the court case also agrees that rewarding a player for causing a cart off constitutes a bounty. They may not have intentionally tried to injure the player who was carted off, but when they got rewarded for causing that injury, that reward became a bounty.

By: ordinaryday6

ordinaryday6 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 23:27:57 +0000

If the league had legit evidence of a bounty program (not pay for performance which he has no jurisdiction over), the NFL wouldn’t have changed the suspensions. Now they’re trying to save face after screwing up the investigation and subsequent hearings by not providing all if the evidence and not following due process. Goods for the players, I hope the cba rules work out for them. I say this as an eagles fan, not giving a crap about the saints.

By: gingerkidboston2012

gingerkidboston2012 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 21:30:27 +0000

Vilma should recuse himself from the press. Is it every time a microphone is within his vicinity, he needs to open his yapper? Makes him look weak, whiny & unsympathetic to everyone who isn’t a Saints fan.

By: footballisexistence

footballisexistence — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:23:49 +0000

Now maybe if their QB Drew Breese would stop taking pictures of his YOUKNOWWHAT and sending them to jen stager and play some football instead.. lol

By: hehateme2

hehateme2 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:11:34 +0000

Is it too late to move the Super Bowl?

By: t16rich

t16rich — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 20:00:53 +0000

Just shut already Vilma. I wish their was a gag order on the process because he sounds like a broken drum now.

By: woodsvikes

woodsvikes — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:35:11 +0000

miles58a says:
Oct 12, 2012 11:03 AM
Also the NFLPA is made up of players from all teams and represent all players. Do y’all really think they would be backing these players if they thought for a minute they they were guilty. Come on people get real!!!!
—————————————————
Actually the Union really has no choice but to back them up on this. Unless they had something in the Bylaws that states that in this particular instance union protection does not apply.

What the Union should do is kick everyone involved out for contracting injury to fellow union brothers. Let these guys try to play in the league without union protection.

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:32:12 +0000

Seriously? Ask the commish to not hear the appeal? That’s not possible is it? Even if Goodell wanted to, he is required by the CBA to be the appeals arbitrator in this type of matter. It’s pretty simple really..it’s a legal maneuver. And another attempt to skirt the rules by Vilma. Is it possible that this guy has been breaking rules and disrespecting unwritten rules his whole life, and being given special treatment to the point that he doesn’t understand that he has no chance here? See for most of us to pursue a case like this we wouldn’t have the money for a lawyer. So IF we had a case the lawyer would agree to take 1/3 of the settlement. But see if you have money to pay a lawyer by the hour, he’ll do whatever you want. Whatever you tell him do within reason. That includes endlessly pursuing a case that has very little legal merit to it. It amazes me how some athletes can not adjust when they have to start following life’s rules.

By: sb44champs

sb44champs — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:14:53 +0000

69finfan says:
” If nothing occured then why in addition to Sean Payton not fighting or appealing has Loomis, Vitt, Williams not appealed? Why is it just prima donna players?”
=======================
Sheesh, do you actually read… everyone knows that the players have a union to back them but the coaches have no union…actually GODell is their union and they have to comply to get back to coaching and in Sean Payton’s case, one of only 32 jobs like that in the world so of course they aren’t going to say a thing if they want that back!!

By: mwindle1973

mwindle1973 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:14:18 +0000

You notice how this story gets no traction now that the regular season is here. See half or more of the NFL world doesn’t pay any attention to football from the SUper Bowl until the regular season, save for the draft. And now that these articles are being read by the whole NFL fanbase, now the public support has swayed to the NFL’s side. I can’t see at this point what more proof someone could want to see to believe that they deserve suspensions. Nobody is banning them for life. If you want to fight for something like this, go fight for Shoeless Joe Jackson to be reinstated by MLB so he can be elected to the HOF. After all there is significant proof that even though he agreed and took money to throw the 1919 world series that he didn’t actually go through with it. One fact would be that he had no errors in the series and had a higher batting avg than he carried during the regular season. Honestly he’s worth fighting for, one of the greatest baseball players ever. These guys are just hacks. If it wasn’t for this scandal, they would be footnotes in NFL history. If not for the scandal in 20 years nobody would know who Vilma was. Now he’s secured his place in NFL history!

By: 69finfan

69finfan — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:56:18 +0000

If there is no evidence of anything illegal occuring within the rules of the NFL/CBA, if this is all contrived/made up/fabricated/embellished by Roger Goodell then doesn’t it make sense that the individual (Sean Payton) who received the harshest punishment would disput this and fight the most? If nothing occured then why in addition to Sean Payton not fighting or appealing has Loomis, Vitt, Williams not appealed? Why is it just prima donna players?

By: openseason51

openseason51 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:52:49 +0000

Vilma reminds me of Pete Rose. I didn’t do boss! Honest! Retire, write a book, and then confess.

By: cags777

cags777 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:50:09 +0000

I am happy Jonathan Vilma is continuing with this fight against Roger Goodell. He’s only adding to the Karma that will rock the team and any team he plays for after this season. So go head, Mr. Vilma. Continue with your stupidity by claiming you did nothing wrong and bullying reporters. All bad deeds are eventually answered.

By: ilovefoolsball

ilovefoolsball — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:31:40 +0000

I sincerely hope that this fiasco damages Goodell beyond repair.

By: lawyermalloy

lawyermalloy — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:23:56 +0000

Getting paid for six weeks during this process is tantamount to a 10 game suspension instead of the year he was originally given. Vilma should take his money and go away already.

By: vikesandravens78

vikesandravens78 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:21:50 +0000

Methinks he doth protest too much.

By: franktherat96

franktherat96 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:17:20 +0000

mellish225 says:
Oct 12, 2012 10:04 AM
You got caught with your hand in the cookie jar, Saints! Man up, fess up and shut up!

_______________________

Yet another fan that believes everything someone tells him despite evidence showing something else. Man up, fess up, and shut up!

By: marcinhouston

marcinhouston — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:55:42 +0000

Everyone knows that Goodell does not need real evidence and whoever he accuses is guilty and they should all just man up and fess up and take their lumps because Goodell knows who has been naughty and who has been nice and it is just common sense that if you have as much power as Goodell you are always right, especially if you keep saying what you believe over and over on ESPN. Goodell is catching people with their hand in the cookie jar left and right because he has affadavits from disgruntled ex-employees with conflicting statements about which hand was in which cookie jar when and video tapes that show people backs moving when they confess.

By: peytonfavrecircus

peytonfavrecircus — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:54:10 +0000

Seriously, though. Stop wasting everyone’s time Vilma.

By: knew8411

knew8411 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:40:37 +0000

By the time these guys drag this through the legal system…..they will have already served their suspensions.

By: nyfcat

nyfcat — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:39:08 +0000

I would have a lot more respect for Vilma’s if he were trying to profess his innocence instead of attacking in the process in which he was caught by Goodell.

By: MasMacho

MasMacho — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:38:35 +0000

“imposes the harshest punishment in the history of the NFL over nothing, then expect it to be challenged relentlessly.” > Agree

“the original accusations have proven to be false” – by who? where? Because a judge questions the authority of the NFL to invoke the suspensions? because ESPN said so? > Strongly disagree. They haven’t been proven true, either, save for a signed statement by one of the suspended coaches.

“It’s not even clear that it occurred in just one game three years ago.” > Agree – very little is clear about what actually happened.

Maybe we’ll never know. But I do know the coaches aren’t fighting these suspensions, and it speaks volumes.

By: stevebozeman

stevebozeman — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:27:13 +0000

Sorry, the players shouldn’t of agreed to it in the CBA if they didn’t want Goodell to be apart of the appeals process. The only people they should be mad about is all the uniformed players and D. Smith for allowing this to be signed off on in the CBA.

By: nolasaintsgirl

nolasaintsgirl — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:10:35 +0000

Ok, so your not a Saints fan…who cares. However, if you’re going to smack talk make sure your grammar is on point.

By: silentcount

silentcount — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:09:28 +0000

People who are sick of hearing about this on-going bounty junk need to remember one thing — the original accusations have proven to be false. There was no pay-to-injure bounty program in every game for three seasons, like Goodell intentionally lead you to believe. It’s not even clear that it occurred in just one game three years ago. And for that, the Saints are forced to play the whole season without their head coach? When Goodell imposes the harshest punishment in the history of the NFL over nothing, then expect it to be challenged relentlessly.

By: MasMacho

MasMacho — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:07:06 +0000

Let me get this straight.. repeatedly insult a man, call him a liar (in court, too), and then insist he’s lost the ability to deal with you fairly..

Interesting approach.

Perhaps Mr. Vilma should recuse himself of legal strategy… or better yet, speaking.

By: nflhof

nflhof — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:04:53 +0000

Vilma should just try and recruit the refs from last Sunday nights game, I’m sure they would be willing to him another favor.

By: dvdman123

dvdman123 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:40:52 +0000

When all is said and done we will have a new commish and believe me folks in the long run it will be better for the league. As much as many of you want not to believe he screwed this up royally. The courts will settle this and the NFL won’t be happy with the outcome.