League commissioner Roger Goodell was expected to come down hard on anyone who the NFL could prove had a significant role in the New Orleans Saints bounty program.
And after a long negotiation with the NFL Players Association, Goodell dropped the hammer on four players in an announcement by the league this morning.
Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the entire 2012 season. Former Seahawk defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, who signed with Green Bay during free agency, was suspended for eight games.
Defensive end Will Smith was suspended for four games, and linebacker Scott Fujita, now with Cleveland, was suspended for three games.
According ESPN’s Adam Schefter, all four players plan on appealing the decision.
It’s a significant decision by Goodell that is sure to have reverberations around the league today and in the future.
Well, looks like we dodged that bullet. I think some kind of punishment for Hargrove was telegraphed a while back, but I would have expected three, maybe four games suspension, but I guess he had more of a lead role. Glad he’s a Packer now.
× Flag comment
Holy cow. A whole season for Vilma?! The Sheriff has spoken, loudly.
By the way, apropos of nothing: Kolb may want to do some leg work in the gym. When spandex is hanging loosely around your calves and lower leg, time to bulk up. There are anorexic soccer moms at my gym whose spandex fits more snugly.
× Flag comment
“Kolb may want to do some leg work in the gym. When spandex is hanging loosely around your calves and lower leg, time to bulk up. There are anorexic soccer moms at my gym whose spandex fits more snugly.”
LOL, Duke!
× Flag comment
Lmao Duke…. You are so right
× Flag comment
didn’t notice it till you said something duke – that looks really strange.
× Flag comment
Wow, I cannot say that I am surprised…but I am! I realize players have to be responsible for their actions…but suspending a player for an entire year is CRAZY! He was doing what the coach said and offered! The coach is already paying the price for his actions…wierd!
Does this mean that Vilma will be hanging out with the coach for the entire year? Afterall, they do have a couple things in common! They need each other…its going to be a long year without the friendships of their teammates!
The Commish is finally getting his point across. If you look at this…the news is no longer blaring on NFL players. He is holding them responsible. Getting rid of the thugs and making the NFL a respectable place to call home.
× Flag comment
FishAK–Not weird at all. Vilma offered up some of his own money to teammates to injure other players. As for the coach telling him to do (thereby excusing the players)…I don’t buy into that logic. It should have been reported by the players to protect their colleagues (even if on the other team). In my mind it is no different than a dirty cop or military officer telling a cadet or private to break a written (and hopefully instinctual) code of conduct.
× Flag comment
RIP Jr. Seau. To sad, Seau was one of my favorite players of all time.
× Flag comment
“When spandex is hanging loosely around your calves and lower leg, time to bulk up. There are anorexic soccer moms at my gym whose spandex fits more snugly.”
LOL. Absolutely awesome!!
× Flag comment
I love the intensity on Sherman’s face in this picture. Kolb, you’re about to get knocked the @#$&! out!
× Flag comment
I’m glad we didn’t re-sign Hargrove.
× Flag comment
I guess the fact that Hargrove chose to talk to the commish and admit to his involvement in the bounties, the only one to do so I believe, didn’t help him out too much.
This whole bounty scandal has been PRIMARILY about the league’s legal liability, no matter how much they try to tell you it’s about their altruistic desire to protect player safety! They’re getting sued right now by former players and they CANNOT AFFORD to look soft on player safety! The Seau apparent suicide also should remind us of this. I don’t know why Seau did it, if he did it, but Dave Duerson shot himself in the chest, same place Seau was shot, and his family is part of the suit and is claiming that years of concussions and trauma led to his depression.
Interesting note, 8 of the players from the 1994 SD super bowl team are now dead!
× Flag comment
8 players under the age of 45
× Flag comment
I had no doubt in my mind that Hargrove would get at least 8 games. He knocked out Favre and bragged about it on the field in a playoff game. He may claim he didn’t collect on his bounty, but it was the most widely known bounty and his hit could easily have been considered a cheap shot. Not hard to do the math there.
I know a lot of people want to say this is just part of the game, but this kind of stuff leads to ugly incidents and just can’t be tolerated. It already has in the NHL:
http://espn.go.com/espn/commentary/story/_/page/munson-120315/todd-bertuzzi-hit-steve-moore-2004-cautionary-tale-new-orleans-saints-bounties
× Flag comment