The Facts:
Following up on the
ongoing story. ... This is the week in the New Orleans Saints "bounty" affair during which all parties will have what could be their final chances to be heard before NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. And Goodell hopes that all will have rested their case by the end of the week. "I think we all need to move forward," Goodell said. "I think it's important for all of us to be open about what we've been able to find."
Reported by NFL.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
The league already has levied punishments against the club itself, GM Mickey Loomis, HC Sean Payton, assistant Joe Vitt and former DC Gregg Williams. All but Williams have filed appeals, and all will be heard by the end of the week, with the expectation that decisions will come quickly. Previous reports suggested the appeals would be heard on Tuesday. Apparently not. Goodell was asked if Payton and Loomis will meet with him Tuesday, and answered, "I don't know yet. I believe it's later this week." But the commissioner was very clear about his feeling on why stringent discipline was needed. "This has been going on for three years," Goodell said. "We've been investigating this, we've met with various personnel with the Saints. And for three years, they denied this was going on. It's clear it was going on, and that's one of the reasons the punishment is harsh. I think, from our standpoint, we want to find out (during the appeal) if there's information that we're not aware of and take that into consideration, and we'll deal with it from there. ..." In other words: Don't look for anybody involved to catch a break.
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