Bounty

Walter Seltzer, a Hollywood press agent-turned-producer who started out at MGM in the 1930s and made an enduring mark on the industry in the 1980s as a tenacious fundraiser for the Motion Picture and Television Fund, has died. He was 96. Seltzer died Friday of an age-related illness at the Motion Picture and Television Fund's retirement home in Woodland Hills, said Jennifer Fagen, a spokeswoman for the fund. His successful ad campaign for MGM's "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935)

NFL free agency has started with a splash. The Miami Dolphins have traded receiver Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears, reuniting him with quarterback Jay Cutler. The two were teammates in Denver. Fox's Jay Glazer first reported the deal, which sends the combustible star to Chicago in exchange for third-round picks in the next two drafts. The Bears were one of several teams eyeing San Diego receiver Vincent Jackson, among the most coveted offensive players in free agency.

The NFL punched, and now one of the New Orleans Saints has counterpunched. Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma is suing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for defamation, claiming the executive lied about him when making statements about the Saints' alleged bounty program. The suit was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Vilma, a team captain, is accused of being one of the leaders of the program, and twice offering teammates $10,000 to knock quarterbacks out of playoff games - first Arizona's Kurt Warner, then Minnesota's Brett Favre.

I propose a totally different way to quickly end the war in Iraq and save lives. Let the United States go before the United Nations Security Council and propose that a bounty be offered for the capture of Saddam Hussein, and that he be brought into an international court and tried for war crimes. These crimes would include his use of poison gas on his own people during his war with Iran. Let the bounty be set at $1 billion and with the condition that the Iraqi armed forces withdraw from Kuwait.

An ESPN report has alleged that New Orleans Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis had a device in his Superdome suite that allowed him to listen in on the game-day communications of opposing coaching staffs from 2002 through 2004. The Saints have vigorously denied the report, with team spokesman Greg Bensel calling it "1,000% false. " Writers from around the Tribune Co. will discuss which side they think is telling the truth, the Saints or ESPN's sources. Check back throughout the day for their responses and join the conversation by voting in the poll and leaving a comment of your own. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times I believe ESPN.

Writers from around the Tribune Co. will discuss the NFL's one-year suspension of New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma for his alleged role in the Saints' bounty program. Check back throughout the day for their responses and join the conversation by voting in the poll and leaving a comment of your own. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times The suspension of Jonathan Vilma was not too severe if in fact he offered $10,000 bounties to any teammate who took out Kurt Warner or Brett Favre.

Writers from around the Tribune Co. are discussing whether or not the New Orleans Saints' Jonathan Vilma might see the field this season after receiving a year-long suspension for his alleged role in a bounty program. Check back throughout the day for their responses and feel free to join the discussion with a comment of your own. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times There's certainly a chance that Jonathan Vilma could obtain a legal order forcing the NFL to lift the suspension, at least temporarily.

The suspension of four players involved with the New Orleans Saints' bounty program was overturned by a three-member appeals panel Friday, meaning those players are free to return to work. But does that end the possibility of suspensions that stick? Not from the NFL's perspective. Some in the league are interpreting the ruling this way: The panel didn't question that there was a pay-to-injure bounty program, or that players could be suspended for participating in one. But the panel wants to clarify what the suspensions were for -- that players were getting cash to hurt opponents, or that they circumvented the salary cap by collecting money that wasn't reported?

In the wake of the devastating penalties levied against the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday for carrying out a bounty program in which defensive players were rewarded for hurting opposing players and putting them out of games, one question arose: Who told the NFL about it? Former NFL defensive tackle Warren Sapp says he knows. Sapp took to Twitter on Wednesday and said it was former Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey. Shockey denied it was him, telling Yahoo Sports, "It's reckless, it's careless, it's hurtful to me and the great time I had with the Saints.

One of the greatest eras in NFL history is coming to a close. Peyton Manning will be released Wednesday by the Indianapolis Colts, according to multiple reports, ending a months-long saga of what the franchise would do with the league's only four-time most valuable player. The news was first reported on ESPN.com. Manning, who sat out last season recovering from multiple neck surgeries, has said he intends to play this season, even if it's with another franchise. Manning, who turns 36 this month, won a Super Bowl with the Colts in 2006.