Four NFL players were suspended on Wednesday by the NFL for their roles in the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the entire 2012 season. The other three players, former Saints defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, Saints defensive lineman Will Smith, and former Saints linebacker Scott Fujita, received lesser penalties. Hargrove, currently with the Green Bay Packers, was suspended for eight games, Smith was suspended for four, and Fujita, now with Cleveland Browns, was suspended for three. The suspensions are without pay.
According to the National Football League’s statement, the players were cited for their leadership roles in the bounty program, which paid players over the past three seasons for hits that injured their opponents. Vilma reportedly offered his defensive teammates $10,000 to knock Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner out of a divisional playoff game, and the same amount to put quarterback Brett Favre, then with the Minnesota Vikings, out of the NFC championship game, both of which were played after the 2009 season. Vilma expressed disappointment in the NFL’s decision and denies the charges against him. “I never set out to intentionally hurt any player and never enticed any teammate to intentionally hurt another player,” Vilma said in a statement. “I also never put any money into a bounty pool or helped to create a bounty pool intended to pay out money for injuring other players. I have always conducted myself in a professional and proud manner.” Vilma says he intends to fight the injustice. The Saints had no immediate comment.
