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Jonathan Vilma, the New Orleans Saints' middle linebacker who has been a central figure in the bounty scandal which has embroiled the franchise and the NFL since the league brought the allegations to light in March, revealed on his Twitter feed Wednesday evening that ESPN is working on a "character study" of Vilma and suspended defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.




New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma talks with the media at a press conference on Thursday, July 28, 2011 at the Saints training facility in Metairie.

Williams is indefinitely suspended by the NFL for organizing and administering a pay-for-performance bounty program during his tenure with the Saints from 2009-11. Vilma originally was suspended for the season by the league but earlier this month a three-person panel lifted that suspension - likely just a temporary reprieve - and sent the matter back to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

On Wednesday night Vilma posted a photo of a letter sent to one of his former teammates with the New York Jets from an ESPN producer asking for an interview about Vilma. The letter said the sports network was preparing a "character study" of Vilma and Williams that would run this weekend. The post included the producer's email account and phone number.

The central allegation against Vilma is that during the playoffs following the 2009 season - which ended with the Saints winning the first Super Bowl in franchise history - that Vilma offered $10,000 to any Saints player that knocked Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner out of the divisional playoff game. The NFL said that offer was repeated in the NFC championship game when the Saints played the Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Brett Favre. The league last week released affidavits from Williams and former Saints defensive assistant Mike Cerullo backing those allegations and others raised in the league's investigation.

Both quarterbacks took a severe beating from the Saints but finished the games. Vilma has disputed the allegations and has filed a defamation suit against Goodell in U.S. District Court in New Orleans.

While Vilma is eligible to play he is currently on the physically unable to perform list. The Saints have started the season 0-3 and have the worst run defense in the NFL.

Three other current or former players also were suspended by the league - defensive end Will Smith (four games), Browns linebacker Scott Fujita (three games) and free agent defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove (eight games). Those suspensions also have been lifted by the appeals panel - likely just a temporary situation as Goodell will be able to reinstitute the penalties if he chooses.

Several weeks ago ESPN's "Outside the Lines" ran a lengthy and rather unfavorable - if not particularly insightful - profile of suspended Saints Coach Sean Payton. Earlier this spring, the same ESPN reporter/producer who did the piece on Payton filed a report alleging that Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis had the ability to listen in on the communications of opposing teams when they played in the Superdome prior to Hurricane Katrina. The Dome was seriously damaged during the storm and its aftermath and underwent a massive renovation.

The Louisiana State Police recently called a press conference to announce they found no violations in their investigation of the allegation.

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