(Sports Network) - The suspended players in the New Orleans Saints bounty case
have reportedly filed appeals of the latest penalties imposed by NFL
commissioner Roger Goodell.
Both NFL.com and ESPN have reported that Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Anthony
Hargrove and Scott Fujita have appealed the discipline Goodell announced
Tuesday.
After an appeals panel in September overturned the penalties Goodell initially
disclosed in May, the commissioner re-issued his decision earlier this 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.
If Hargrove is signed by a team, he will only serve a two-game suspension
after receiving credit for the five games he already has missed this season.
Fujita has appeared in three games for the Browns, while Smith has appeared in
all five games for the Saints. Vilma hasn't played in a game this season
because of a knee injury and Goodell's recent ruling has allowed for the
linebacker to accumulate time served while he was being paid during his time
on the physically unable to perform list.
The Sports Network