New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - NOLA.com Paul Tagliabue to rule on New Orleans Saints bounty appeals Tuesday afternoon

Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will rule on the New Orleans Saints bounty appeals Tuesday afternoon, a source said Monday afternoon. But the ruling may not bring any sort of finality to the protracted case.

A source told The Associated Press that any possible punishments levied by Tagliabue would be delayed a week to give the U.S. District Court in New Orleans a chance to possibly rule on the legal end of the bounty scandal.
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If penalties are handed down to Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith, the two players would still be eligible to play in Sunday's home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Former Saints defenders Scott Fujita (injured reserve) and defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (free agent) would technically be eligible to play if they were able to play.

Interim coach Joe Vitt pointed to Tuesday as a potential day for a Tagliabue decision on the bounty appeals last week because Tagliabue understands how the league operates in that giving a team ample notice to prepare for possible suspensions is typical protocol.

The NFL, once again, stood tight-lipped Monday afternoon as league spokesman Greg Aiello said, "We are respecting his (Tagliabue's) request not to provide details."

Peter Ginsberg, Vilma's lawyer, didn't respond for comment on the possible Tuesday decision.

A source said Sunday morning the league's settlement offer, which the players rejected, was contingent on the players agreeing to a statement "full of untruths designed to protect current NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his standing in the NFL."

When asked by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune after Sunday's loss to the Giants at MetLife Stadium if he'll be anxious to see what happens in the case the next couple of days, Vilma said, "Not at all. I could care less about that. I'm more worried about us finishing strong. It's been a while since we've been eliminated from the playoffs. This is tough. This is tough to swallow. This (the Saints) is definitely my priority, and we're not getting it done right now. No, I'm not worried."

If Tagliabue does still levy some sort of suspension for the four players, the sanctions could end the 2012 season for Vilma and Smith. There's also a distinct possibility that the suspensions could end their Saints careers as well.

Smith has two years left on his contract. The salary cap number for Smith next season would be $14.5 million ($10.2 million in salary plus bonuses). The Saints would only be on the hook for $6.8 million in prorated signing bonuses for 2013 and 2014 if the Saints release Smith.

Vilma's contract runs through next season with his salary cap figure set for $8.6 million in 2013 ($6 million in salary and bonuses). So if the Saints released Vilma, they would only owe him $2.6 million in a prorated signing bonus.

Of course, the legal side of the bounty scandal would also be in play if the players aren't happy with Tagliabue's sanctions. U.S. District Court Judge Helen Berrigan made it clear during the court proceedings in late July that she would like to rule in favor of the players for a temporary restraining order to halt any suspensions.

Meanwhile, a letter written by Tagliabue as to why he didn't recuse himself from the appeals process was filed in federal court Monday.

"Based upon my experience and knowledge, as well as the fact that I have not been previously involved in any aspects of the issues before me, and that I have no financial or other conflict of interest, I conclude that I may faithfully fulfill my obligations under the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement as the appeals hearing officer to provide a fair, unbiased and impartial decision regarding the decisions before me," Tagliabue said in the letter dated Nov. 5.

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