Commissioner Goodell will hear the Saints' appeal this Thursday. (AP/US PRESSWIRE)

On Thursday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will hear the appeals of Saints coach Sean Payton, assistant Joe Vitt, and general manager Mickey Loomis for their roles in the bounty scandal. Goodell's original punishment included a one-year suspension for Payton, and six and eight-game suspensions for Vitt and Loomis. The organization, which lost a 2012 and 2013 second-round pick and was fined $500,000, will also appeal.

Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was suspended indefinitely, is the only person not appealing the commissioner's ruling, presumably to show that he willingly accepts his fate in the hopes that Goodell will take that into consideration when he revisits Williams' status in a year.

League spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed the hearing schedule to CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman who wrote Tuesday that "It's expected that Goodell will make a quick decision. This part of the Saints bounty story could reach a conclusion this weekend or by Monday. It remains an extreme longshot that any of the appeals will work particularly for Payton who was suspended for one year."

Goodell, who was on hand Tuesday for Nike's new NFL uniform unveiling, said that league officials met with NFLPA representatives Monday to discuss the Saints' bounty investigation. "We shared more information with them so they're up to speed," he said.

The commissioner also expects to speak with NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith, possibly as soon as Wednesday.

 "I hope to be able to make some decisions soon," Goodell said. "I believe in getting as much information as possible. We respect the players. This is important because it's a player safety matter. We think that we need to get some input from them."

Saints running back Pierre Thomas, who modeled the team's new uniforms at the Nike press event, called the league's sanctions "ridiculous" and added: "We're players. We're going out there to make plays. That's what the game is about," he said via the AP.

"You play defense, your job is to tackle. They can say they put a bounty out on me when I got knocked out against San Francisco in the playoffs. You can say they put a bounty out on me. Who knows? But they're just targeting us right now," he said. "But I'm not faulting the guy that hit me. It's the nature of the game. That happens."

Some Saints fans have taken up the cause, including Jimmy Buffett, who sported a "Free Sean Payton" t-shirt at a recent concert where the real Sean Payton played the bongos (things you can't make up).

If history is any guide, however, Goodell's final decision won't be swayed by public opinion. He's been more interested in sending a clear message that insolence will not be tolerated, even if the punishments are haphazardly administered.

If, as expected, Goodell upholds his previous ruling, then the Saints will need a head coach. The early favorite: Bill Parcells, who hired Payton as an assistant with the Cowboys in 2003. The commissioner has previously stated that he wouldn't have an issue with Parcells taking over, and neither would Thomas.

 "I mean it would be great," he said. "That's somebody coach Payton always talked about in meetings, admired him. He seemed like a great coach. I never played underneath him, but I learned a lot about him. I heard a lot about him. He seems like a great guy. I know we would love to have him if it happens, but we would prefer Payton to be there with his team, to lead us on the way he's been doing."

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