PFT: Report: Saints kept ledger detailing $1,000 payments for cart-offs (UPDATE: NFL corrects its leak lol...it's a doozy)

[Hitman21ST]

Vilma is losing 2 million. You think he gives a damn about evidence that hurts the saints? That amount of money kills any loyalties in a hurry, just ask Brees if a two million dollar difference matters. He's not going to stop until something implicates him above all others.

Goodell is giving Vilma every opportunity to own up before he opens Pandora's Box. Every time Goodell has talked about evidence, he's come through. Sometimes you just need to bite the bullet.

[ADF]

Goodell is giving Vilma every opportunity to own up before he opens Pandora's Box. Every time Goodell has talked about evidence, he's come through. Sometimes you just need to bite the bullet.

I don't really buy that. To me, it makes it look like they are hiding something.

I don't understand how the Saints weren't hit harder. There was talk of 22 to 27 players being involved. I don't get how only four players got punished? I don't care who the so called leaders were, if over 20 players were involved in this then they all should be suspended. I don't care if they have to field a whole defense of replacement players for a whole year. They did it so they should pay the consequences. I don't even understand why they have left open the possibility of Gregg Williams coming back. They should let it be known that this man is banned for life. There is no way you let a guy who did what he did back on the sidelines. You do that and every player in the league has a potential case against you. This isn't like some idiot doing something off the field. The NFL can't be held responsible for that kind of stuff.

[Destino]

Goodell is giving Vilma every opportunity to own up before he opens Pandora's Box. Every time Goodell has talked about evidence, he's come through. Sometimes you just need to bite the bullet.

What is this pandoras box you're thinking of? Whatever evidence exists Goodel has already seen it and used it as the basis for his penalty, so that's off the table. He'd look foolish increasing the penalty simply because he was asked legally to disclose it, I think the NFLPA would lose its mind at the idea of players being punished more severely for fighting a suspension. He wasn't suspended indefinitely.

Again I don't think a guy losing two million gives a damn about a ledger that doesn't have his name in it or how many more of his teammates are implicated. He's accused of being a ringleader and financial backer of the system, the evidence has to show that specifically. Until it does Vilma is going to force the issue.

He's betting that whatever Goodell has is either weak or for whatever reason something the league would rather never allow out.

[NLC1054]

The problem is that Vilma already looks like a massive tool for the way he's acting. He's suing Goddell for defamation, but if everything Goddell says winds up being factual, Vilma's done far more to hurt his own standing in the NFL than anything Goddell could say.

It's a case of "the linebacker doth protest too much". His loud proclamations that he never did this or that, even in the face of the evidence that has leaked out, will only come back to bite him in the ass if he keeps pushing it. I don't particularly see why even an ******* like Goddell has any reason to lie about Vilma's involvement in the bounty system, and for a guy who's about to be out $2 million with no prospects of working in TV or anything, engaging in a potentially frivalous lawsuit doesn't make him look any better.

He's got every right to defend himself, but his lack of poise and his brazen attitude only serve to make him look like an even bigger toolbox than he already does, and will only damage him further if it indeed does come to light that he WAS a ring leader and did contribute financially.

[roanoker]

Vilma is losing 2 million. You think he gives a damn about evidence that hurts the saints? That amount of money kills any loyalties in a hurry, just ask Brees if a two million dollar difference matters. He's not going to stop until something implicates him above all others.

I agree with your point, except I've never heard Brees being implicated; he just wanted a decent contract. I hope for Vilma's sake your last sentence does not come to fruition.. 2 million dollars is a lot of money, but pales in comparison to a career. One can win a battle but lose the war. IMO, God-dell and his army of lawyers would not have handed out the disciplinary action unless they had the goods.

A one year suspension is a very, very serious matter. I don't think that they took a cavalier attitude in meting out punishment knowing the scrutiny it would certainly bring. Hell, who knows? As part of an agreement they may have Payton and or Williams set to testify as witnesses for the NFL. Speaking of evidence, it floored me once it started to flow on the Saints. At first, it seemed measured then as the denials became prevalent the heavy artillery was fired. It was at that point that I lost a lot of respect for Gregg, Sean and the Saints organization. Too bad one cannot unread something that has been written. On the positive side, perhaps, Vilma has a mountain of evidence to counter the findings of the three year investigation.

[Cliffmark1]

I don't understand how this "hurts" Vilma, or makes the NFL look like they have anything. This leak makes Vilma and Co look better. It makes the NFL look like they don't have a clue.

This makes the NFL look like gossiping girls rather then men with their facts straight. Why not come out release it to the NFLPA first or make an official statement instead of leaking to a source then correcting the leak with again incorrect information.

[skinsfan4128]

I don't understand how this "hurts" Vilma, or makes the NFL look like they have anything. This leak makes Vilma and Co look better. It makes the NFL look like they don't have a clue.

This makes the NFL look like gossiping girls rather then men with their facts straight. Why not come out release it to the NFLPA first or make an official statement instead of leaking to a source then correcting the leak with again incorrect information.

This is my viewpoint as well. The "leak" seems like an under-handed way of attempting to prove a point. IMO, if you're going to leak the ledger story, why not just come out and say "Look here, folks, here's all the information you need that backs up our stance and enforces our punishments."

Vilma is simply (and trust me, I'm not a Vilma fan in any way, shape, manner, or form ) defending himself against the empire known as Goodell and the NFL. I see no fault in that whatsoever. Hell, I think a good number of us (and I state this judicially ) would take the same stance if our livelihood was stripped away for a year and our wages taken for the said time period regardless of our career choices.

Truth is, I don't understand why the NFL and Goodell are allowed to play spy games with the secrecy surrounding the "proof" they have in their possession to be kept secret. It gives the illusion that the NFL has something to hide (And let's keep in mind you could argue the same with the punishments given to the Girls and Skins salary cap ). Any of us would demand the right to face our accuser and be shown proof of the allegations against us. That is something, apparently, the NFL and Goodell does not subscribe or adhere to. Just my thoughts.

[Califan007]

Speaking of which...Vilma laughs it off

No word on *how* it's wrong though. It seems like Vilma just keeps digging himself deeper.

The leaks were wrong in that they state that three $1000 payments for "cart offs" by the defense were handed out for the Bills game in 2009, then "corrected" and said it was actually for the Panthers game in 2009. Only in those two games mentioned by the leaks only one offensive player was injured--and it wasn't a contact injury. The rest were defensive players. So no offensive players were carted off in either game...

So what were the payments for?

That's why Vilma is laughing. The NFL ****ed up their leaks lol...there's no way in hell they'll release another leak now.

That could be as simple as misreading a line and reading a number wrong.

TWICE? lol

It certainly doesn't prove the ledger doesn't exist.

But it DOES (or should) throw into doubt the validity of the leaked info and whether or not it's being portrayed accurately...because so far, it's not accurate in the slightest.

And that's Vilma's lawyer's claim right now...that whatever the "ledger" shows, it does NOT show proof of a bounty system--at least not from what the leaks have said. And on that point, Vilma's lawyer is one billion percent correct.

[AsiaticSkinsFan]

The leaks were wrong in that they state that three $1000 payments for "cart offs" by the defense were handed out for the Bills game in 2009, then "corrected" and said it was actually for the Panthers game in 2009. Only in those two games mentioned by the leaks only one offensive player was injured--and it wasn't a contact injury. The rest were defensive players. So no offensive players were carted off in either game...

So what were the payments for?

That's why Vilma is laughing. The NFL ****ed up their leaks lol...there's no way in hell they'll release another leak now.





TWICE? lol


But it DOES (or should) throw into doubt the validity of the leaked info and whether or not it's being portrayed accurately...because so far, it's not accurate in the slightest.

And that's Vilma's lawyer's claim right now...that whatever the "ledger" shows, it does NOT show proof of a bounty system--at least not from what the leaks have said. And on that point, Vilma's lawyer is one billion percent correct.

yup to all of this

[Kindred]

Doesnt look like chase is fairing too well over there:

Backup quarterback Chase Daniel was repeatedly picked off and his passes kept getting broken up. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that linebacker Curtis Lofton touched Daniel after one play, which touched off a fracas.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d...P11_hot_topics

[Peregrine]

The NFL front office seems to get sleazier and sleazier daily... But hey, if you leak something, its okay if you lie, it will merely effect public opinion and you can say oops. Old tactic.