Jonathan Vilma's counsel seeks injunction if Goodell does not reverse his suspension

JonVilma
Attorneys for Jonathan Vilma filed a statement in the Eastern District Court of Louisiana Wednesday, which said that if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell does not overturn his yearlong suspension of Vilma, they will seek an injunction against his punishment.

The statement, written to Judge Helen Berrigan, said that since Vilma's attorneys believe the issue is related to his defamation suit, filed against Goodell on May 17, the injunction should also be handled in Berrigan's court.

"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," his attorneys said in the statement.

Vilma's counsel said in the statement that they believe Goodell could hand down a decision on the Saints linebacker's suspension soon, though NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said on Tuesday that the league has no timetable for making a decision.

Goodell suspended Vilma for one season after the NFL concluded he played a leading role in a Saints pay-for-performance bounty program run during former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' tenure from the 2009-11 season.

Other players facing suspension include defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove (eight games), Saints defensive end Will Smith (four games) and linebacker Scott Fujita (three games). Hargrove and Fujita now play for the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns respectively but were with the Saints for the 2009 season. 

Vilma tipped his hand earlier in the week when he reacted on Twitter following the NFL's statement that Goodell would not make a decision on the appeals Monday.

"What's this guy waiting on? Make your ruling so we can get on with phase 2 already," Vilma wrote. 


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(nola.com)
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