The NFL “laid out the meat of its case against four suspended players Monday, claiming handwritten notes and computerized records showed the New Orleans Saints ran a program that former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams told investigators, 'rolled the dice with player safety, and someone could have been maimed,'" according to James Varney of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. The league's “high-powered demonstration came at the end of a day that began focused on the players' appeal to Commissioner Roger Goodell.” Former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White “led the presentation at the NFL's headquarters, and while she and other league officials remained tight-lipped about the, ‘multiple, independent sources,’ on which their investigation was based, it was clear that Williams, [interim Saints coach Joe] Vitt, and convicted felon Mike Ornstein -- once a curious insider with the club -- were key.” Saints LB Jonathan Vilma’s attorney Peter Ginsberg, “repeating his charge that the evidence against Vilma is non-existent and that Goodell has badly miscalculated, declared the appeal hearing a sham and Vilma did not return when the meeting reconvened Monday afternoon.” Vilma said that he “feels his reputation is in ruins," while Ginsberg "made it clear they may seek some other recourse, leaving open the possibility they could pursue legal action in addition to the federal defamation lawsuit he has filed against Goodell in New Orleans.” NFL Exec VP/Labor & General Counsel Jeff Pash said that he “would not speculate on what steps the players might take now.” Goodell has “agreed to keep the appeal hearing record open until Friday in case the players, the NFLPA or the attorneys involved wish to add any statements or documents” (NOLA.com, 6/18).
EVIDENCE GALORE: In N.Y., Tim Rohan writes the four suspended players met with Goodell “and were given the opportunity to respond to the league’s evidence against them.” White showed a “handwritten note from a defensive coach that was subsequently typed by NFL investigators, with the title ‘Minny game.’” The note named Ornstein as a member of the group “who financed the $35,000 the Saints had pooled for whoever knocked" former Vikings QB Brett Favre out of the game. The players “declined to respond to the evidence but were given until Friday by Goodell to do so” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/19). In New Orleans, Mike Triplett noted Ornstein “continued to insist that any bounty offer he ever made was in jest.” He was “previously identified for offering bounties against quarterbacks like Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers in an email sent to the entire Saints staff.” Ornstein “shared a text message he received from Williams to show that Williams had confirmed to the league that he never made a serious bounty offer.” According to Ornstein, the text from Williams read: "I stood up for you & told them just that. I told them we never took that (expletive) serious. I never ever saw you ever give $ and that's just the truth" (NOLA.com, 6/18). The AP’s Barry Wilner writes yesterday was "a strange day." The NFL “insists it has evidence galore,” but when it made some of it public, the players and lawyers involved “weren’t impressed” (AP, 6/19).
WAS EVIDENCE CONVINCING? CBSSPORTS.com’s Mike Freeman wrote the NFL “found an extremely cooperative witness” in Williams. The day began with the NFLPA “releasing all of the evidence the NFL had released to them.” That evidence, “not all that convincing except for several critical facts, gave the union a fact and public relations edge,” but “that was temporary.” Later in the day, the NFL "gave a presentation to a small group of journalists,” with Freeman among those present. The result “was an NFL that had finally demonstrated some firmness of its case and yes, some proof.” Freeman wrote that some of the evidence “is circumstantial,” but much of what the NFL showed journalists was “convincing.” What became “clear was that Williams walked the league through how his bounty program worked in far greater detail than generally known.” Freeman noted Ornstein was “also a source for the NFL” (CBSSPORTS.com, 6/18). USA TODAY’s Jarrett Bell notes the league “revealed only one instance where a bounty was paid, to Roman Harper in 2009.” Bell writes the NFL “has stitched together a compelling case,” and the material “it has -- corroborated by Williams and others? -- is enough for Goodell” (USA TODAY, 6/19). In New Orleans, Mike Triplett wrote "most" of the evidence the NFL presented “fit with the narrative we've pieced together over the past few months.” The Saints “aren’t innocent victims.” The NFL has “real legitimate evidence of their guilt.” But the league “still went overboard with its punishments and characterizations of their crimes” (NOLA.com, 6/18). Also in New Orleans, Jeff Duncan wrote the evidence released by the NFL “is pretty damning for the Saints.” Duncan: “You'd have to be pretty naïve -- or a blindly devoted fan -- to not believe a program existed after reviewing the evidence in its entirety.” But whether you “agree with the sanctions or not,” yesterday's release “puts to rest once and for all any questions about the legitimacy of the NFL's case or the silly notion that league officials were making the whole thing up” (NOLA.com, 6/18). SI.com’s Peter King wrote of the league's findings, “All of this cannot be invented.” Now that the league “has shared its case with the press -- and, as a result, the public -- it's not quite the slam-dunk case of negligence the players have charged” (SI.com, 6/18). PRO FOOTBALL TALK’s Mike Florio writes the bounty files “reveal a handful of documents that suggest the existence of a bounty program in New Orleans” (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 6/19). Vilma said, “Roger Goodell has taken three months to tarnish what I’ve built over eight years in my career” (“NFL Total Access,” NFL Network, 6/18).
SPEAKING UP: After the meetings yesterday, suspended player Scott Fujita said, “The NFL has been careless and irresponsible, and they've made mistakes, and at some point, I think they've got to answer some questions about that” (ESPN.com, 6/18). In New Orleans, John DeShazier wrote Vilma, and former Saints players Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove and Fujita “either personally, or through representation, huffed and puffed and pilloried the league's appeals process and their commissioner.” But they “didn't blow down Goodell's house, didn't displace a single shingle as far as anyone could tell.” The show, “and the suspensions, will go on.” The consolation the players have “is that they apparently have surged ahead in the court of public opinion.” And if the evidence the NFLPA released “is an indication of what the tip of the iceberg is, it’s pretty clear why Goodell isn’t likely to budge.” While players “can huff and puff and blow harsh statements in his direction, they can't move him an inch because in the collective bargaining agreement, they assured him that they had no problem with him being ‘judge, jury and executioner,’ as Vilma surmised” yesterday (NOLA.com, 6/18). In N.Y., Bart Hubbuch writes the NFL and the NFLPA “continued their long-running war of words yesterday, only this time in person.” The meetings yesterday featured “more heated rhetoric but little in the way of evidence, and no indication Goodell will back off on his punishments.” Their chances of avoiding the suspensions or even having them reduced “are considered nil by legal experts because the NFLPA agreed during last year’s labor negotiations to give Goodell final say on punishment related for on-field conduct.” Goodell’s claim to that authority “also has been strengthened in recent weeks by a pair of rulings upholding it” (N.Y. POST, 6/19).
POINTING FINGERS: PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Florio noted Goodell “got an earful” from Ginsberg yesterday during the initial session of the bounty hearings. Ginsberg “accused Goodell of failing to conduct a fair process and distorting facts, calling the proceedings ‘shocking and shameful.’” A source said that Goodell’s face “turned red during Ginsberg’s rant” (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 6/18). Florio wrote perhaps “lost in the unpredictable events surrounding the appeal hearings in the Saints bounty case was the official reaction to the situation from the NFL Players Association.” NFLPA outside counsel Richard Smith “questioned the fairness of the process with a 12-point critique of the league’s handling of the case, calling the investigation ‘sloppy.’” Florio: “If this is labor peace, I’d hate to see what labor unrest would look like” (NBCSPORTS.com, 6/18). CBSSPORTS.com’s Clark Judge wrote under the header, “Vilma’s Complaints Aimed In Wrong Direction.” Vilma’s remarks “shouldn’t be posed to Goodell,” they should be “meant for” NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith. A source said, “It’s a little bit disingenuous when you’re calling the process unfair and wondering what happened to due process. The CBA answers that question.” Player comments should be “aimed at their leadership for agreeing to a deal that gives Goodell authority they say he shouldn’t have” (CBSSPORTS.com, 6/18).
JUDGE, JURY, EXECUTIONER: ESPN’s Michael Smith said, “Goodell has all the power that was given to him, in part, by the players. … He’s got all the power. What you going to do about it?” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 6/18). ESPN’s Bill Polian: “The commissioner has ruled that this is 'conduct detrimental to the NFL.’ That phrase is key because in the collective bargaining agreement 'conduct detrimental’ is the sole responsibility of the commissioner and he’s given broad latitude in terms of what he can do.” Polian added, “I’m sure that the players’ association would like to go into another forum, a Federal court perhaps. … But Federal courts give great latitude and take great deference with collective bargaining agreements. They don’t like to interfere with collective bargaining” (“NFL Live,” ESPN2, 6/18).
TWEETY BIRD: Falcons WR Roddy White took to Twitter to express his thoughts on players complaining about Goodell. He said, "Don't know why we complaining we did this to ourselves I applaud roger godell for brokering a hell of a deal and I blame nflpa for failing us." He continued, "Whoever is the head of the baseball union that's who we need to hire they never have problems. Ok they have had problems but not on the same issues that where problems before they signed a new cba as a union the nflpa fixed none of our real problems." He added, "Sold us a great dream about how good the deal was I didn't even want to sign that card because I knew the deal we signed was terrible" (TWITTER.com, 6/18).
KRAFT AND SMITH MEET: In Boston, Greg Bedard wrote Smith and Patriots Owner Robert Kraft met last week when the union made "surprise visits" at team OTAs. The two “grew close during labor negotiations,” so “don’t be surprised if Kraft was trying to mend some fences between the NFL and the NFLPA.” The relationship is “very strained right now and not good for the game in a variety of areas” (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/17).
