Jonathan Vilma upset with timing of bounty hearings

Saints LB Jonathan Vilma said Friday he's not happy with the timing of Paul Tabliablue's hearings into the bounty-related suspension appeal.

Like teammate Will Smith, Vilma is OK with Tagliabue ruling on the appeal -- which also involves former Saints Anthony Hargrove and Scott Fujita -- before the end of the season. His problem is when his accusers, former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and former defensive assistant Mike Cerullo, will testify.

Vilma said they had been scheduled to talk next Thursday and Friday morning, conflicting with the Saints' game at Atlanta on Thursday night. Vilma said he wasn't sure which of the two would testify Thursday and which would testify Friday.

“I'm disappointed in that because these are the guys that made the case against me,” he said. “I would love to be there to see them and hear what they have to say. For whatever reason, he (Tagliabue) felt like I don't need to be there.”

The statements of Williams and Cerullo were the primary evidence NFL commissioner Roger Goodell used in handing down a season-long suspension to Vilma and a four-game suspension to Smith. After Goodell appointed Tagliabue, his predecessor as NFL commissioner, to hear the appeal, Tagliabue agreed to make Williams and Cerullo appear at the hearings.

The hearing will end Dec. 4, and Tagliabue has said he will make a decision soon afterward. If he upholds the suspensions, Vilma and Smith will miss the final three games of the regular season. Their absence could be a critical blow to the Saints as they try to recover from an 0-4 hole to make the playoffs.

“There's always that possibility, but we feel like once Gregg and Cerullo get up on the stand and testify, there's no plausible way we can still be suspended after that,” Vilma said. “We'll see what happens.”

Vilma said it was impractical for either he or Smith to make the Friday morning time.


(cbssports.com)