New York, NY (Sports Network) - Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue will
hear the latest appeals from the four players suspended in the New Orleans
Saints bounty case.
Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove and Scott Fujita appealed the
latest penalties imposed by current NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last week.
Union chief DeMaurice Smith said Friday, via Twitter, that Goodell won't be
listening to the players' appeals.
"I have been in touch with Roger. He has formally notified me that he will
recuse himself. Paul Tagliabue will step in," Smith wrote.
Goodell, in a release issued by the NFL, said he has not "consulted with Paul
Tagliabue at any point about the Saints matter, nor has he been any part of
the process."
The hearing will take place Oct. 30 at a time and location to be determined by
Tagliabue, who will have full independence to decide the appeal. Goodell said
he will have "no role" in the decision.
"Paul Tagliabue is a genuine football authority whose tenure as commissioner
was marked by his thorough and judicious approach to all matters," Goodell
stated. "He has many years of experience in NFL collective bargaining matters
and an impeccable reputation for integrity."
After an appeals panel in September overturned the penalties Goodell initially
disclosed in May, the commissioner re-issued his decision last week with a few
changes.
Hargrove, currently a free agent, had an eight-game ban cut to seven games and
Fujita, now with the Cleveland Browns, had a three-game penalty trimmed to one
game. Vilma's suspension remained season-long and Smith's four-game ban also
held firm.
Vilma hasn't played in a game this season because of a knee injury, but has
indicated that he could play this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Goodell's recent ruling had allowed for the linebacker to accumulate time
served while he was being paid during his time on the physically unable to
perform list.
Tagliabue was the NFL commissioner from 1989-2006.
The Sports Network