Bounty

The head of the NFL players' union said Wednesday that the NFLPA still has not received any details or specific evidence about the New Orleans Saints' "alleged pay-to-injure program" and that it will fight the suspensions of four sanctioned players. “We have made it clear that punishment without evidence is not fair,” said DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFLPA. “We have spoken with our players and their representatives and we will vigorously protect and pursue all options on their behalf.” The NFLPA is in a difficult position, because it represents all NFL players, among them those who were allegedly targeted by the Saints.

The NFL has suspended four players for their participation in the New Orleans Saints pay-for-performance bounty scandal -- among them linebacker Jonathan Vilma, for the entire 2012 season. Vilma received the harshest of sanctions, with defensive linemen Anthony Hargrove suspended for eight games without pay, defensive end Will Smith four games, and linebacker Scott Fujita three. Hargrove now plays for Green Bay, and Fujita for Cleveland. It was Vilma who offered $10,000 to any Saints teammate who knocked Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2009 NFC championship game.

Another shoe drop, another shock wave. The NFL dropped the hammer on the New Orleans Saints again Wednesday, punishing four players for their role in the bounty scandal, including a full-season suspension of linebacker and defensive captain Jonathan Vilma. Defensive linemen Anthony Hargrove and Will Smith got eight- and four-game suspensions, respectively, and linebacker Scott Fujita was suspended for three games. Hargrove now plays for Green Bay and Fujita for Cleveland.

Now that the NFL draft is over, the league will turn its attention to disciplining the New Orleans Saints players involved in the pay-for-performance bounty scandal. It's possible that suspensions could be announced Monday. "With the discipline that involved the players, we hope to be doing that very soon and get that behind us," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday, before the start of the first round. "We want to complete the work that we've been starting. We want to make sure that we're thorough and fair.

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.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday he plans to announce punishments soon for the New Orleans Saints players involved in the improper pay-for-performance bounty program, and rejected the notion those players were simply doing what their coaches told them. "I don't buy that, because the evidence is quite clear that the players embraced this," Goodell said in an interview with NFL Network's Rich Eisen. "They enthusiastically embraced it. They put the vast majority of the money into the program and they actually are the ones playing the game.

Sean Payton handed over control of his team to Joe Vitt once before, and the New Orleans Saints have decided to do it again. The Saints on Thursday named Payton's trusted second-in-command their interim coach, despite the fact that Vitt will miss a third of the season for his role in New Orleans' bounty system. For his part, Payton received a season-long suspension that begins Monday; Vitt, who takes over Monday, was handed a six-game suspension. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said in his announcement that the team will address at a later time how to divvy up Vitt's responsibilities during his six-week absence.

The unearthing of an audio recording of former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams instructing his defense to intentionally injure San Francisco players in their January playoff game raises all sorts of questions. The audio was recorded long after the NFL had warned the Saints to end any improper bounty programs -- including a specific warning before the playoff game against Detroit a week earlier. (Warning: Explicit language can be heard in this clip of Gregg Williams addressing the Saints.)

The night before New Orleans played at San Francisco in an NFL divisional playoff game in January, Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams gathered his players for a pep talk at the team hotel. In a 12-minute, obscenity-laced diatribe, Williams instructed them to injure specific 49ers, urging them to aim for the head of quarterback Alex Smith and the surgically repaired knee of Michael Crabtree, saying the star receiver "becomes human when you [expletive] take out that outside" ligament.

Saints Coach Sean Payton is appealing his season-long suspension from the NFL for his role in New Orleans' bounty system. And he's not the only one looking for a little relief from the penalties handed down by Commissioner Roger Goodell . General Manager Mickey Loomis , assistant coach Joe Vitt and the Saints organization each decided to appeal on Friday. Payton will also ask NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for his guidance on the parameters of the suspension, which runs through next year's Super Bowl, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press.