The NFL has suspended Jonathan Vilma for the entire season, Anthony Hargrove (now with the Packers) for 8 games, Will Smith gets four games, and Scott Fujita (now a Cleveland Brown) gets three.
The NFL's rationale for the severity of the punishments, according to E$PN:
WOW. Obviously, all four players will appeal the punishments, and I am sure that the NFLPA will have something to say...but they have a dangerous time ahead of them. The NFLPA is not just for defensive players, it also includes all of the offensive players that were subjected to these bounties. If they come down too strongly in favor of letting these players off lightly, they run the risk of pissing off the offensive players who now would have reason to think that the NFLPA doesn't have their best interests at heart. This could be a very divisive issue for the NFLPA, as they represent both the suspects AND the victims of Bountygate.
I am just glad that I am not a New Orleans Saints fan. It has not been a good couple of months for them...
The NFL's rationale for the severity of the punishments, according to E$PN:
The league said Fujita pledged "a significant amount of money" to the Saints' bounty program.
Hargrove submitted a signed declaration to the NFL not only that the Saints' bounty program existed, but that he was an active participant in it. In addition, the NFL said that Hargrove told at least one player on another team that former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was a target of the Saints' bounty pool in the 2009 NFC Championship Game and that Hargrove obstructed the league's investigation in 2010 when he wasn't truthful with investigators.
Smith, according to the NFL, helped former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams create and fund the bounty pool when he was a captain of the defense.
Vilma, also is alleged to have helped Williams create and fund the program. Also, the NFL said Vilma pledged $10,000 in cash to any Saints player who knocked former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner out of the 2009 divisional playoff game involving the teams and then repeated the pledge for Favre for the NFC title game.
WOW. Obviously, all four players will appeal the punishments, and I am sure that the NFLPA will have something to say...but they have a dangerous time ahead of them. The NFLPA is not just for defensive players, it also includes all of the offensive players that were subjected to these bounties. If they come down too strongly in favor of letting these players off lightly, they run the risk of pissing off the offensive players who now would have reason to think that the NFLPA doesn't have their best interests at heart. This could be a very divisive issue for the NFLPA, as they represent both the suspects AND the victims of Bountygate.
I am just glad that I am not a New Orleans Saints fan. It has not been a good couple of months for them...