The Facts: The NFL Players Association has filed a grievance against the NFL challenging Commissioners Roger Goodell's powers in the New Orleans Saints "bounty" case, a source with knowledge of the situation said Friday.

Diehards Line:The NFL suspended Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the 2012 season for his role in the "bounty" scandal. Three other players -- Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith -- also were suspended. Fujita (now with the Cleveland Browns) got three games, Hargrove (Green Bay Packers) got eight games, and Smith (still with the Saints) was suspended four games. The union's contention is that the suspensions "violated the (league's) duty of fairness to the players. ..." The union states that "the process violated various procedural requirements of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, including limits on Goodell's authority over the matter and failure to disclosure sufficient evidence of the violations. ..." The union's system arbitration alleges that the authority for punishments for pay-for-performance programs similar to those in the "bounty" case does not rest with Goodell but with the system arbitrator, according to the current collective bargaining agreement. ... Stay tuned.