The NFL Players’ Association says the suspension of four players for their roles in the Saints’ bounty scandal is unfair, but one of the union’s most prominent members says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made the right call.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning was asked in a conference call to promote this week’s stint hosting Saturday Night Live what he thought of the suspensions of Jonathan Vilma, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith and Scott Fujita, and Manning said he backs Goodell.
“I think he’s doing the right thing to make sure this doesn’t ever happen again,” Manning said. “There’s no room for any type of bounty system in the NFL. You have to respect the game.”
By banishing Gregg Williams indefinitely and suspending Vilma and Sean Payton for a year, Goodell has implemented some of the harshest punishments that the NFL has ever seen. But Manning believes that’s appropriate.
“I think he’s been harsh to try and prove, to make a statement,” Manning said, “that there is no place for this in the game of football.”