The New Orleans Saints' Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith, two of the four players suspended Wednesday in Bountygate, Part Deux, say they'll appeal their punishments because they were falsely accused.
Good. They should. That's why we have appeals. But let's just say I don't like their chances.
First of all, there's the court that's scheduled to hear the appeal. That would be the court of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the guy who handed down Wednesday's punishment. OK, so that doesn't seem fair that he's judge and jury and now weighs appeals of decisions he already made.
Well, this just in: When the players signed off on last year's CBA they agreed to it.
So now players are hoping Goodell goes easy on them now after spending weeks, months maybe, weighing the evidence? I don't think so, and I offer Saints' coach Sean Payton as evidence. He appealed, too, and his punishment wasn't reduced.
Second, players had plenty of opportunities to make themselves heard before Goodell's decision this week. They and their counsel were invited to sit down with league officials and NFL security prior to Wednesday's decision, refute charges and offer evidence in support of themselves.
They declined. In fact, only one of the players, defensive end Anthony Hargrove, responded, and he did it by submitting a signed declaration in which he detailed the existence of a bounty program and his participation in it. He also acknowledged lying about it when asked in 2010.
Third, and most important, while Vilma and Smith deny their culpability -- at least, as it was spelled out in Wednesday's press release by the league office -- the evidence against them and others is "overwhelming," according to former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White, who has worked with the NFL on previous cases and was asked to join the investigation into the Saints' scandal as independent counsel.
White, who participated in a conference call Thursday morning with reporters, insisted that "a very thorough, fair and robust process" produced incriminating evidence that caused the commissioner to take this week's actions.
"This is certainly not a one-on-one, he-said, she-said record at all," said White. "This is multiple, independent sources."
Without being specific, she said that were offers of bounties AND payments -- though she acknowledged there were no payments for "cart-offs" or "knockoffs" of quarterbacks Brett Favre and Kurt Warner in 2009 playoff games. The NFL charges that Vilma offered $10,000 to anyone who hurt them so seriously they could not return, but both finished the contests.
In its original finding into Bountygate, the league said that 22-27 players were involved but only four were disciplined. Vilma and Smith already expressed their outrage, but here's my advice: I'd save my explanations for the upcoming appeals, fellas, then hope for a miracle.
Look, if they're as innocent of the charges as they claim, they should have defended themselves immediately. I know, reports indicate they were advised by the NFLPA not to do meet with NFL security, but, c'mon, common sense tells you that if you're wrongfully accused you make yourself heard when you can affect an outcome -- not afterward.
So that doesn't bode well for these guys. Neither, of course, does the commissioner hearing the appeal of his own decision. But White's insistence over and over that the league had a mountain of "undisputed" evidence makes me think these guys have about as much chance of getting their sentences reduced as their head coach.
Which means no chance.
"The evidence is overwhelming supporting the charges," said White. "It's a rare situation where you have multiple independent sources with first-hand knowledge. It's an unsually strong record ... (and) it's about as egregious as you can get with these kinds of programs ... In my life as a prosecutor, I've had a lot less evidence for conviction."
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