Saints LB Jonathan Vilma did not meet with NFL over bounty scandal - NFL News
New information regarding the National Football League’s (NFL) investigation into the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal was revealed on Thursday.
According to NFL.com’s Steve Wyche, Saints linebacker, Jonathan Vilma requested a meeting with NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, over the bounty probe during the investigation.
However, the linebacker later backed out of committing to a meeting after receiving advice from his lawyers according to a league source mentioned by Wyche.
The NFL had on its part agreed to the meeting.
All of this took place before Wednesday’s announcement by the NFL in which four players were suspended for their involvement in the bounty scandal including Vilma.
The league delivered the harshest punishment to the Saints linebacker who was suspended for a year for his alleged leadership role in the bounty scandal.
Vilma was the only player mentioned in the first report by the NFL which revealed the existence of the bounty programme.
The linebacker was accused of offering teammates a bounty of $ 10,000 if they knockout and injure former Minnesota Vikings quarterback, Brett Favre, during the 2009 National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game.
The other three who were suspended include former Saints and now Green Bay Packers, defensive end, Anthony Hargrove who received an eight game suspension, Saints defensive end, Will Smith was suspended for four games, while former Saints and now Cleveland
Browns linebacker, Scott Fujita was slapped with a three-game suspension.
Hargrove was the only one out of the four suspended who actually met with the NFL and in a written statement confirmed that there was a bounty scandal in the Saints defensive roster and he was involved in it.
Vilma released a hard hitting statement through his agent to the media after the announcement of the punishments and denied all allegations.
He also called into question the evidence used by commissioner, Roger Goodell in his decision and said that nothing was shared with him during the league’s investigation.
The linebacker is prepared to appeal his year-long suspension.
More news over the bounty scandal will likely be revealed in the coming days and it remains to be seen when the players will appeal their punishments with the league.
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