Goodell is hanging his hat on intent!

He doesn't care if any Saints players received one red cent!

I agree that Vilma will probably get a year-suspension; if Goodell has proof of his 'cash' offer, if wouldn't be surprised if he gets a lifetime ban.

Still the NFLPA will try to fight any punishments that would set an undesirable precedent for the future, which could potentially give the league even more power over the players and their association/union.

22-27 current and retired players with no idea who? Plus godell waiting until when, the season starts to announce it? Is our offense expected to play both ways? Not that Drew probably wouldn't make a hell of a CB but... I still think it's that corporate rat bastard's way of giving us a post season ban.

My thoughts as well.
Just make a decision, let me complain about it and move on already. I know that this story will follow the Saints and it's fan base forever but I'm ready for this crap to be over.

It's frustrating for sure, but we can look at it from the positive perspective of the longer it takes for the league to announce any suspensions, the more probable it would seem that there won't be many of them or that they won't be severe in nature - otherwise it would certainly seem that there is a malice intent behind delaying their announcement.

The only "bright side" I see is because of the threat of the suspensions, we have totally retooled our LB group. Not sure if it's just because of Spagnoulo or the suspensions, but whatever...

And the extended length of the suspension ruling has me thinking that the NFLPA has made Goodell rethink his decision: almost like he was planning to be really harsh and the 'PA said "Not So Fast"!

I think it's clear that Spags wanted to make some changes in the LB corps, and I think we all agree that he needed to.

But more than that I think we can derive from the moves that have been made and ones that haven't been - i.e. letting Dunbar sign elsewhere - that the Saints didn't have the required personnel to run Spags' schemes.

It seems that Spags really wants a thumper MLB, which Lofton and Hawthorne clearly are, while probably decreasing the role the SS and FS will have in the run defense.

With guys like Lofton, Hawthorne, and Wilson it seems like these guys will be solid in the second tier of the run defense and also if the front 4 can tie up some people, we could very well see them occasionally break through to make some plays behind the line of scrimmage.

It would be awesome to add a 100% healthy Vilma into the mix, that would simply give Spags a group which could adjust to pretty much any situation while having very high quality rotation.

the longer delay could help if it extends to the summer. Each of the players could appeal in intervals, so all hearings could not happen at once and we could stagger the suspensions.
My thought is that they are nowhere ready to rule bc no one has spoken to the players yet.