Jonathan Vilma Vs. Roger Goodell

Added on Jun 01, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

The Saints bounty scandal just won’t go away. With all the punishments handed down by the league’s disciplinary committee, one would think the controversy would die down, but that’s not the case. In fact, suspended Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma is doing his very best to keep it in the headlines by not only suing Commissioner Roger Goodell, but also calling for evidence of his involvement.

Vilma, who has been accused of being one of the ring leaders both on and off the field, has claimed no such bounty system was in place in New Orleans, and is demanding Goodell’s office hands over proof.

“We asked for evidence, and he (Goodell) wouldn’t give it to us,” Vilma told NFL.com. “How can I defend myself when I don’t know what I’m defending against? It’s just logical, things that people decided to ignore.”

Vilma is adamant that he is innocent of the charges levied against him and the team.

“There was no bounty program in place,” Vilma said. “I never paid anybody, intended to pay anybody, that’s the truth. Never sought out to injure people. That’s the truth. That’s really about it. I can’t really go into detail.”

League spokesman Greg Aiello maintains that the players union has viewed the evidence and Vilma was invited to do so himself, but declined. At this point, there are a lot of opposing fingers pointing in different directions, and things are reaching ugly proportions.

Along with head coach Sean Payton, Vilma has been suspended for the entire 2012 season for his role in the program. His defamation lawsuit against Goodell surmises that his reputation has been permanently sullied and will negatively impact his playing career and life after football. However, the merit of the suit is in question and it’s quite possible it will be tossed out of court.

Basically, Vilma is fighting a one-man battle against the NFL powers that be. And for now, it’s a losing battle.

Source: NFL.com