Defensive captain Jonathan Vilma’s suspension is the longest of those imposed on four players, as the National Football League found that he assisted former Saints defensive co-ordinator Gregg Williams in establishing a cash-for-hits bounty programme, reports the New York Times. Former Saints players Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove – now at Cleveland and Green bay respectively – as well as current Saints player Will Smith received lesser penalties.

Appeals

All four players are expected to appeal their suspensions, with the possibility of the case going to federal court. The NFL had already suspended Mr Williams indefinitely, as well as coach Sean Payton (season ban), general manager Mickey Loomis (eight games) and assistant head coach Joe Vitt (six games).
Yesterday’s bans mark the final step in a complicated case for the under-fire league, which is facing legal action relating to head injuries from more than 1,000 former players. An NFL investigation had determined that the bounty system ran from 2009 to 2011 and that up to 27 defensive players might have been involved in the scheme, which targeted key opponents and offered bonuses for ‘knock-outs’ and ‘carry-offs’.
Mr Vilma – who stands to miss out on $1.6 million in wages as a result of the suspension – was accused of using his own money to motivate Saints players into deliberately injuring opponents.

Denial

According to US sports website ESPN, Mr Vilma said in a statement: ‘I never set out to intentionally hurt any player and never enticed any teammate to intentionally hurt another player. I also never put any money into a bounty pool or helped to create a bounty pool intended to pay out money for injuring other players. I have always conducted myself in a professional and proud manner. I intend to fight this injustice, to defend my reputation, to stand up for my team and my profession, and to send a clear signal to the commissioner that the process has failed, to the detriment of me, my teammates, the New Orleans Saints and the game.’