Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Commissioner Goodell has crafted a "revised punishment" that continues his previous grossly misplaced interpretation of the "evidence." What the Commissioner did today is not justice, nor just. The suspension has the fingerprints of lawyers trying to fit a square peg into a round hole to appease an Appeals Panel decision ordering the Commissioner to pay attention to his authority under the CBA. Someone needs to tell the Commissioner directly that his duties also include being true to the evidence, to fundamental notions of due process and to the integrity of the game. That time hopefully will come soon.

Rather than fairly and impartially evaluate the evidence, the Commissioner instead has wrapped his arms around the architect of pay-for-performance programs, Gregg Williams, and attributes Williams' inflammatory language and bizarre slide shows not to Williams but to the players Williams coached.

Jonathan Vilma did not offer a bounty or any incentive to any teammate to injure an opposing player. Commissioner Goodell has now called every one of the dozen or more players and coaches a "liar" who has played the games with Jonathan and been in the locker room with Jonathan and who has sworn under oath to that fact. And to make matters worse, the Commissioner blatantly ignores other evidence that shows Jonathan did not do what the Commissioner, again, accuses him of doing. As but one example, Jonathan's bank records show that he did not withdraw $10,000 from his account at any time during the 2009 playoffs (or at any other time), the time period when the Commissioner claims Jonathan offered that amount of money as a bounty on Kurt Warner and Brett Favre. Consistent with the Commissioner's disregard of the evidence, he did not even request to see the bank records showing this fact.

As another example, in the sworn statements of Williams and Mike Cerullo, the people the Commissioner found "credible," Cerullo swore under oath that he turned Jonathan's $10,000 over to Williams after the Warner game when no one "earned the bounty," and before the Favre game. Williams swears he never received any money from Cerullo or anyone else. Commissioner Goodell has further damaged Jonathan's reputation, compromised his career, and cast an unfair cloud over a fine and decent man. It is unfortunate that the process exhibited by the NFL has had no decency.

Jonathan Vilma's lawyer rips bounty suspension - NFL.com

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Enough of this. I really just wish Vilma and his attorneys would let it all go. I know they won't, I'm just sick of hearing and talking about it, and it's obvious Goodell isn't interested in reducing anything.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

No way. Would YOU just let it go? I know I wouldn't.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Commissioner Goodell has now called every one of the dozen or more players and coaches a "liar" who has played the games with Jonathan and been in the locker room with Jonathan and who has sworn under oath to that fact. And to make matters worse, the Commissioner blatantly ignores other evidence that shows Jonathan did not do what the Commissioner, again, accuses him of doing. As but one example, Jonathan's bank records show that he did not withdraw $10,000 from his account at any time during the 2009 playoffs (or at any other time), the time period when the Commissioner claims Jonathan offered that amount of money as a bounty on Kurt Warner and Brett Favre. Consistent with the Commissioner's disregard of the evidence, he did not even request to see the bank records showing this fact.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Hell no! Vilma isn't in the wrong. Why would he give it up. I hope he keeps it up until Goodell's ass is destroyed. This isn't about any trivial suspension. It is ALL about false accusations that have impacted a good person's reputation. I am sorry that you are tired of hearing about it, but I am more than willing to hear about it every day until Vilma and the others are vilified.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Keep fighting Vilma!

I am glad he's not just taking Der Kommissar's crap. I think it is bloody ridiculous what the NFL is doing to him and am glad Vllma is standing up to him. Makes me proud.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Truth be told Vilma is NOT fighting Roger Goodell, rather he's fighting the NFL owners who are a-holes, and who employ Goodell and tell him what to do.

Goodell is a puppet for the NFL owners - end of story. Vilma is figuratively fighting an upcoming lawsuit, in the future, where Goodell will be required to testify in a case against the NFL and its owners for covering up evidence they had since the 70's that - repetitive hits to the head and concussions cause LONG TERM affects in players - the NFL knew this and covered this up.

Vilma and the Saints have been sacraficed on the alter of justice so Goodell can sit in a courtroom and tell a future jury "look at what we did! We stopped the Saints bounty. We paid money to foundations to help study brain injuries. We worked with Riddell to add more padding to helmets. We did everything in our power to prevent head injuries."

All the while NFL owners raked in cash while former players were hit silly while serving. Some shudder, other have memory loss, while others just plain blew their brains out.

Most people about to sign a multi-year multi-million dollar contract at least want to know they are donating their brain to the NFL for that price before signing that contract.

Don't believe me? Watch this - link

The players lawsuit against the NFL is called the BIGGEST LAWSUIT IN THE HISTORY OF SPORTS.
You WILL see this on ABC, CBS, NBC etc, you WILL NOT see this on ESPN.

Basically the NFL owners knew that head injures suffered from a career in football causes irreversible brain trauma. The NFL hid this, sold out, and pushed the sport harder and harder for the almighty dollar instead of revealing it, paying the price, improving safety, and moving forward.



You also have to consider that football in the 1970's and early 80's is not a 10th of what it is today (regardless of what you think). Back then if news broke that football causes brain injuries and every mom would have pulled their kid from playing playground football. Basketball and Soccer would have filled the void leaving the sport of football behind - football would have been known as a dangerous sport.

Check out the NFL making large donations to concussion research as late as Sept 5, 2012 - come on guys, this is what is gong on. Did you see this breaking news on ESPN?

Tom Benson is in on the gag, he's an owner and also tells Goodell what to do. A gigantic loss in court means Benson has to ante up his 1/32'nd he's responsible for of the BILLIONS the NFL could potentially have to pay the 2,000 former players suing them. Believe me Benson, along with other owners, is stashing as much money as possible away right now to just pay the legal team to defend the biggest lawsuit in the history of sport!

Vilma is just a part of a bigger poo-poo sandwich that the NFL's fans have to take a bite out of either now or later. Vilma gets first bites. Rest to come later, including changing the game to make any hits with or to the head ILLEGAL.

The game as we know it will change. It's already done, and you can thank the NFL owners for selling out years ago and leaving the tab for the future of the league to pay for.

Vilma cannot help our team this season. I feel his pain, support him all the way, but he is fighting a gigantic uphill battle that the NFL has sworn to defiantly fight just so Goodell can sit in that examination chair before a jury and use Vilma as an example of what "good" the NFL tried to do to prevent brain injuries all these years.

What would help this team this season is getting Sean Payton back and that's obviously not going to happen.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Waiting on Freeh to finish his investigation and get his take on the situation.

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:popcorn:

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Halo,

You alluded to something Ive had a conspiracy theory on for months now just figured its way too far out there for most to be able to digest.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Geaux Vilma!

The fight must continue!

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

One of two things needs to happen here.

Vilma and his lawyer need to drop this and let it go.

or

Vilma and his lawyer need to figure out how to handle their business outside of the press and public eye.

WE NEED NO MORE DISTRACTIONS!!!

The same gawddamned people who have been roasting Brees over the contract issue stating he is putting himself before the team are now publicly supporting Vilma putting him self before the team.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

I think we better enjoy football while we can.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

It will be flag or touch in the near future.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

There are two issues that are of most importance:

First, this challenge is about due process; no man in the country should be denied due process, period. The coaches were summoned to New York without prior knowledge and were told sign and admit your guilt or else (you're out of football). The league has either refused or reluctantly turned over some evidence without given the accused the opportunity to examine, question, and challenge said evidence. If this had happened to you, or your team officials, you'd feel different; but, because most of you or blinded by your loyalty to your individual teams, you're operating with your heads in the sand...

Second, this is about the NFL gaining evidence that it's not harboring an unsafe work environment for its contracted employees; for years the Sabol Media Machine (God Bless him and be with his family) has put out great entertainment with such productions as NFL's Crunch Course which the League has greatly profited from - now the League wants to be able to say when the Judge comes "No Yo Honor, it wasn't us - they were doing it to themselves..."

What is makes this whole situation ludicrous is that you have had current, former players of other teams say on public broadcast they didn't see the big deal as the accusations are commonplace practice around the league (i.e. Washington, Chicago, Buffalo) and nothing is being done about it there - if you're going to implement and enforce rules - they should be applied to all teams and personnel equally - otherwise, throw out the hypocrisy...

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

I think I'm just going to start watching the Lingerie Football League.

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As it is right now, one could make the argument the games are just there anymore to generate stats for fantasy football leagues and Madden video games.

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What????? Would you let someone lie publicly, trash your good name and steal money out of your pocket without a fight? Not to mention taking away your professional job!:brood:

Keep fighting Jon!!! You are right and Kommisar Godhell needs to be taught a lesson. I believe that you are the man for the job.(especially since you don't have one now);)

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

I am not so sure we will ever see the results of that. I'm not even sure he really has Freeh doing the investigation. Benson is an owner. He is well aware of what is being done to his teams players. This could all be for show just to throw us fans off of his scent and keep after Godell. A billion dollar lawsuit or 1 players reputation? Benson is in a crappy spot but we all know they are not millionaires for nothing. The dollar bill will win over 1 of his players reputation.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

I do see one plus in this entire situation. Martez Wilson is going to be seeing A LOT more playing time. :D

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Its not just about one player.....its about HIS organization as a whole. It just so happens that Vilma is apart of it. The ruined reputation of his team affects those dollars...even if its just a little bit. And even though we haven't heard anything from Freeh's findings doesn't mean that he's not doing a in depth investigation. Remember it took him months to finish Penn State's investigation and produce a report.....

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I was just spit balling. Nothing would surprise me anymore.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

I'm just saying I am tired of the distractions. I understand the fight has to continue, but as mentioned in another post, I wish it didn't have to interfere with the season and the team anymore. I just want the whole bounty crap to be done with.

But flame on, I can handle it.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Yeah, I figured that you were spitballing, man... Freeh is definitely doing the investigation. It is for real, it's not for show. And like NuNu said, I think the REAL question that Benson really wants Freeh to answer for him is not only "what happened," but how did the negative story happen, how did we (Benson, the Saints organization) let it happen, and how did they let themselves get blindsided and railroaded by all this. Not just the bounty thing but all of it -- all the scandals, the ludicrous wiretapping allegations against Loomis, the lawsuits from ex employees, the disgruntled and fired ex employees running around with vendettas against the organization, the "reporting" on ESPN using a a web of anonymous sources which the team then had to scramble to refute...all this stuff really kinda blindsided the Saints organization, I think, during a period of great success for the team....with success comes new enemies, and new challenges of people trying to bring you down, or get a "piece" of the action....and if I was Benson I would be extremely pissed and want to figure out how to make sure it will NEVER happen again.

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Like you haven't already? You ain't fooling nobody D!:p

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http://nzsnatch.com/wp-content/uploa...all-league.jpg

I would if I could

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

I think the second blonde on the left is a dude :) I bet that poor thing has no a s s!
Do they even make camera's that don't get rid of red eye anymore?

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

I know that chick on the far left needs a damn hamburger or something.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

:roflmao:

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

CUT VILMA and forget about him! He is one big distraction!!

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You know, even if that were to happen, we would still talk about it. We will forever be linked to this. So we might as well go down fighting.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Well said, Halo. However, it is way too thoughtful for the likes of us.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

No, Goodell is the BIG distraction. Vilma is a huge part of the Saints history. He was instrumental in our Super Bowl for God's sake. He is a good person that has been wronged. There is no way the Saints, or I, will ever cast him aside. I would rather go 1-15 than have one of ours go down to that ******* Goodell.

I am fully committed to Vilma and his cause!

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Wow really?
He's one of ours and was wronged by the commish...
Granted he can't do anything for the defense but just to forget about him? wow

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

I know that the chick on the far right needs something, but it ain't a hamburger :banana:

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

Keep fighting Johnny V, Keep Fighting.

Re: Vilma's Lawyer Fires Back
 

No Collective Bargaining Agreement, no contract, can be legitimate when one party must surrender their basic civil rights - one of which is due process...

Gentlemen Rodger seems to think he's got supreme authority in all things the NFL including the players right to due process - either he's in for a rude awakening or we will be if we are apathetic and let this slide...

I own a business and have employees and I would never think of doing anything that would disallow or disenfranchise American citizens of their inalienable rights...