Not only will Jonathan Vilma will not let this thing go, but he’s trying to get ahead of it. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has not yet revealed his decision regarding the appeals Vilma and three other players filed in the New Orleans Saints bounty case.
Still, Vilma let it be known through his attorneys that if his season-long ban is not lifted by Goodell, he plans to file an injunction in an effort to play this year.
The defamation of character lawsuit the linebacker filed against Goodell includes a clause that Vilma will seek an injunction with Judge Helen Berrigan, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
“We are writing to inform the court that, in the event Mr. Goodell does not rescind his suspension, Mr. Vilma intends to seek injunctive relief in a separate action filed in this District, which we believe would be considered a related case and assigned to your Honor pursuant to LR 3.1 and 3.1.1,” Vilma’s attorneys wrote to the court, according to the Times-Picayune.
A decision by Goodell could be soon on the appeals made by Vilma and the three other players suspended in the Saints bounty scandal. In this way, Vilma’s attorneys are attempting to get ahead of the league. It’s considered unlikely that suspensions for the players will be reduced. Players have steadfastly denied the bounty program existed or that they were a part of it, saying the NFL has not produced evidence of such a program. The league, meanwhile says it has produced vast evidence.
