Joe Vitt claims Saints owner threw NFL personnel out of the team’s facilities
 

This is some low-class, bush league crap.

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During the Bounty Gate drama things were predictably tense at the New Orleans Saints compound.

When linebackers coach Joe Vitt testified before former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue on Dec.3, 2012, his verbiage was raw as he explained his version of various events.

Vitt’s testimony was secured by the Times-Picayune that laid out a scene in which a New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson kicked NFL representative Jeff Miller out of the facility.

Vitt starts by describing when Miller visited the team on November 5th when the Saints defeated the Eagles 28-13.

“He was down at the game two weeks ago against the Philadelphia Eagles, and he was on our sideline,” Vitt said. “And he was over with our director of security, Danny Lawless, and he started laughing at Danny a little bit and said, ‘Hey, maybe I should just go up to the sideline and say hello to Joe Vitt, he’d be glad to see me.’ And Danny looked at him and couldn’t believe it. He thought it was so funny, I guess, because I was just coming off my second game after my seven-week suspension.

“I guess it’s a joke. I guess it’s just a big joke,” Vitt said. “I can tell you, there’s no one in New Orleans laughing, and no one in our organization is laughing. I’ll tell you who is not laughing, is our owner Mr. Benson. Because Jeff Miller took a plane ride from New York down to New Orleans, and the way he talked to our owner, what he said to our owner made me want to throw up, to the point where Mr. Benson kicked him off the property and didn’t let him back on the property; the third time when I talked to Jeff Miller at the Hilton.

“And by the way, the second time I talked to investigators – I’m sorry, I forgot about this. The investigators, Jeff Miller in particular, acknowledged that I did not give any money to a bounty because he said to me, you know, we heard that your wife is so cheap that you have a hard time getting lunch money every day. That was his comment to me. And I said, well, your wife must have a pretty good sense of humor, too, with the clothes you’re wearing right now. So they acknowledged that.”

Joe Vitt claims Saints owner threw NFL personnel out of the team

Re: Joe Vitt claims Saints owner threw NFL personnel out of the team’s facilities
 

I wish more of this would come out in bigger media sites, but you know places like ESPN or NFL.com will not show things like this.

Re: Joe Vitt claims Saints owner threw NFL personnel out of the team’s facilities
 

telling you the tax payers must have rights in protecting the saints profitability to the city and state. that is the main item the nfl pushes every time they threaten to leave town.

who has a lawyer out their that likes to stir some crap up?

Re: Joe Vitt claims Saints owner threw NFL personnel out of the team’s facilities
 

Joe Vitt's testimony is really good stuff.

I shouldn't be surprised that the regular sports media is all but ignoring it, but I kind of am. I would at least think that they would report on it, but misrepresent the quotes and make it sound like it was Payton causing all the trouble.

Re: Joe Vitt claims Saints owner threw NFL personnel out of the team’s facilities
 

And one of their main beefs with Peyton is that he's arrogant? Really?

Re: Joe Vitt claims Saints owner threw NFL personnel out of the team’s facilities
 

The whole NLF leadership structure is broken. Who is calling the shots? Is it really the owners with Benson being talked to like that and having to have this guy escorted off the property? I tried looking this up before and it's a mystery of sorts of how things go down. It's like it's run by a guild of strongmen and lawyers.

Re: Joe Vitt claims Saints owner threw NFL personnel out of the team’s facilities
 

Right this is a huge business with a lot of money on the line. It is hard to see how the executive branch shakes down. But I'm guessing the rich teams and owners are calling the shots.

Re: Joe Vitt claims Saints owner threw NFL personnel out of the team’s facilities
 

I'm not so sure about that...Jerry Jones was fined 6 digits for making statements during the pending lockout. RG had implemented a gag on the owners. I think it's way more complicated but again, very difficult to find info on how the webb is held together. One thing for sure, power is unevenly distributed. Benson never had a halo around his head but for someone in the NFL to talk to him like that without being fired or demoted....Benson has been around a long time. It's downright demeaning as Vitt noted.

Re: Joe Vitt claims Saints owner threw NFL personnel out of the team’s facilities
 

I have fully changed my mind about "we're moving to San Antonio" Benson.