Steelers' Harrison Praises Jon Vilma Lawsuit

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison says that regardless of the outcome, all NFL players stand to benefit from Jonathan Vilma's defamation lawsuit against Roger Goodell.

"It is really a win-win. Whether he wins the case or if he loses it," Harrison told a group of reporters at a team-organized event. "If he loses it, it shows that Goodell does have too much power and if he wins it, it opens up the floodgates."

Vilma's suit claims Goodell made false statements that tarnished Vilma's reputation and hurt his chances to make a living playing football. Vilma received a one-year suspension as a result of the Saints' bounty program, which the NFL alleges it ran from 2009-11.

Harrison has often criticized Goodell and has been fined more than $100,000 for hits that were determined to be illegal. Last season, he became the first player to be suspended under stricter guidelines for player safety after a hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy.

Harrison questioned the severity of penalties given to Vilma and coach Sean Payton versus that handed to the franchise.

"He only gave the team a half-million-dollar fine and two second-round draft picks, and that's a billion-dollar organization," Harrison said. "But yet you take a whole year's pay away from the guy that is below him and you take a whole year's pay away from the head coach. But the actual team themselves, you slap them on the wrist."


(wlwt.com)