Jonathan Vilma’s Lawsuit Forces NFL’s Hand
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By DERON SNYDER
A funny thing happened on the way to resolution of the New Orleans Saints’ alleged bounty program: The matter didn’t go away when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended four players earlier this month, after previously sanctioning the team and management.
The NFL had spoken, and that was supposed to be that. Goodell reinforced his reputation as an iron-fisted ruler who liberally doles out sentences, serving as judge, jury and executioner. The Saints’ players would take their medicine, just like the coaches and general manager took theirs, and the issue would die.
But Jonathan Vilma didn’t get that script. The linebacker and so-called ringleader, who received a yearlong suspension, has gone rogue. He slapped Goodell with a defamation lawsuit on Thursday, claiming that the commissioner made false statements that trashed Vilma’s reputation and hindered his ability to be hired as a pro-football player.
The suit claims that Goodell “relied on, at best, hearsay, circumstantial evidence and lies” when he made comments about Vilma regarding the NFL’s investigation. According to the league, Vilma offered $10,000 in cash to any player who knocked Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner out of a 2009 playoff game, and he pledged the same amount to anyone who knocked Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the following playoff game.
