All four players in the New Orleans Saints bounty case have filed appeals with the NFL, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com & NFL Network citing sources close to the players, in advance of Friday's deadline to do so. The appeals fall under the collective bargaining agreement process, and follow Commissioner Roger Goodell's re-issuing of sanctions on Tuesday. The commissioner reduced Anthony Hargrove's suspension from eight games to seven, and Scott Fujita's suspension from three games to one, while affirming the season-long suspension for Jonathan Vilma and four-game suspension for Will Smith, Goodell allowed time served for Vilma (on the Saints' physically unable to perform list) and Hargrove (unsigned), and said Vilma could keep the game checks accumulated while on the PUP list. Vilma's appeal comes with a twist -- he has asked that the commissioner recuse himself from the appeals process, the NFL fought for the commissioner to retain power over appeals in cases of "conduct detrimental" during last year's labor negotiations, and Goodell stepping aside in such a case would be unprecedented. The priority for the four players, according to sources, was to avoid the enforcement of the suspensions. So filing the appeals serves as a stopgap. "I would say, first of all, that's a leader taking the blame on himself," Finley said. "That's what you're supposed to do as a player, like I would say it's on me. So you've got to check yourself. I think that's leadership. "I think he's playing good, but like I said, this is a team sport, and it's going to take all 11 of us on the field when he's on the field with us. I don't put it all on him. It's his receiving corps, we're dropping balls; it's his linemen not blocking for him. He's got a lot to think about. I would be scared, too, if I was getting hit like that." Source: The Redzone
It is a waste. The only thing this ever stops is if the League moves to remove Goodell. I don't know exactly how that works, but it needs to be done.
