Tagliabue will now rule on Bountygate.
 

DeMaurice Smith ‏@DeSmithNFLPA

I have been in touch with Roger. He has formally notified me that he will recused himself. Paul Tagliabue will step in.




NFL’s statement on appoint of Paul Tagliabue to handle bounty appeal hearing
Posted by Mike Florio on October 19, 2012, 2:07 PM EDT

[Editor's note: The NFL has issued a statement explained the decision of Commissioner Roger Goodell to recuse himself from the appeal hearing in the bounty case. The full text of it appears below.]

Commissioner Roger Goodell today notified the NFL Players Association and the four players who have appealed their suspensions in the Saints bounty matter that he has appointed former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue as the hearing officer to decide the appeals and bring the matter to a prompt and fair conclusion.

Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFLPA, Commissioner Goodell has the exclusive authority to hear appeals of discipline for conduct detrimental or appoint a designee to hear and decide an appeal. Commissioner Goodell consulted with NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith in several conversations before deciding to appoint another hearing officer for this case.

“I have held two hearings to date,” Commissioner Goodell said, “and have modified the discipline in several respects based on my recent meetings with the players. To bring this matter to a prompt and fair conclusion, I have appointed former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to serve as the hearing officer for the upcoming appeals. Paul Tagliabue is a genuine football authority whose tenure as commissioner was marked by his thorough and judicious approach to all matters. He has many years of experience in NFL collective bargaining matters and an impeccable reputation for integrity.

“To be clear, I have not consulted with Paul Tagliabue at any point about the Saints matter nor has he been any part of the process. Furthermore, under our process the hearing officer has full authority and complete independence to decide the appeal and determine any procedural issues regarding the hearings. I will have no role in the upcoming hearings or in Mr. Tagliabue’s decisions.”

Tagliabue, the NFL’s commissioner from 1989-2006, will conduct hearings for the four players (Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith, and Jonathan Vilma) on October 30 at a time and location to be determined by him. He will issue a decision as soon as possible after the hearings.

In a letter to DeMaurice Smith, Commissioner Goodell said, “Commissioner Tagliabue’s deep experience in professional football and his reputation for integrity and sound judgment, as well as his understanding of the CBA, the parties’ past practices, issues surrounding player safety rules and the integrity of the game, make him singularly qualified to hear and decide the appeals in an efficient and fair manner for all concerned.”

Tagliabue, an attorney, is chairman of the Georgetown University Board of Directors. Tagliabue was founding chairman of the Graduate Institute of International Commerce of the State University of New York. He has served on the boards of the United Way of America, the National Urban League, and on the boards of other non-profit organizations. Earlier this year, Tagliabue was honored by the Jackie Robinson Foundation with its Humanitarian Award.

Tagliabue to rescued the whole thing.

Greg Aiello ‏@gregaiello
Tagliabue affirms factual findings of Commissioner Goodell...concludes Hargrove, Smith, Vilma "engaged in conduct detrimental" and...



Greg Aiello ‏@gregaiello
vacates all player discipline. "Unlike Saints' broad organizational misconduct, player appeals involve sharply focused issues of alleged...


Greg Aiello ‏@gregaiello
"the issuance of fines. However, this entire case has been contaminated by the coaches and others in the Saints' organization."

Pro Football Weekly ‏@ProFootballWkly
Key quote from Tagliabue (via @gregaiello): "this entire case has been contaminated by the coaches and others in the Saints' organization."

He vacated the suspensions of the players. Too late for the Saints.

Am so sick of this shit can we move on now?

"I investigated my friend and found he did nothing wrong"

Tagliabue “vacates all player discipline”

Posted by Mike Florio on December 11, 2012, 1:23 PM EST
http://nbcprofootballtalk.files.word...mage.jpg?w=250 Getty Images From the Twitter account of NFL spokesman Greg Aiello comes the league’s statement regarding the outcome of the bounty appeal hearing.
The players have won. We think.

“Tagliabue affirms factual findings of Commissioner Goodell concludes Hargrove, Smith, Vilma ‘engaged in conduct detrimental’ and vacates all player discipline,” Aiello says, using “and” where perhaps “but” would have been the better choice.

Regardless, the suspensions imposed on Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Saints defensive end Will Smith, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, and free-agent defensive end Anthony Hargrove have been overturned.

He also offers this quote from former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who issued the ruling: “Unlike Saints’ broad organizational misconduct, player appeals involve sharply focused issues of alleged individual player misconduct in several different aspects. My affirmation of Commissioner Goodell’s findings could certainly justify the issuance of fines. However, this entire case has been contaminated by the coaches and others in the Saints’ organization.”

In other words, Tagliabue had decided that the players should not be punished, even though he thinks they did something wrong.

We’ll be breaking this one down in more detail soon.

Vilma’s lawyer bashes Goodell for “manufactured allegations”

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 11, 2012, 2:55 PM EST
http://nbcprofootballtalk.files.word...9998.jpg?w=248 Getty Images The attorney for Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s “manufactured allegations” have tarnished Vilma’s reputation.

And attorney Peter Ginsberg says that while former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue did the right thing by lifting Vilma’s suspension, Tagliabue now needs to publicly release all of the testimony he relied on in making his decision in the bounty case.

“Two competing forces have been at play since at least March of this year – Roger Goodell has been trying every conceivable maneuver to avoid real and honest scrutiny of his manufactured allegations that Jonathan Vilma engaged in a bounty program aimed at opposing players and Jonathan has been fighting to have an open and fair review of those accusations,” Ginsberg said in a statement. “We are obviously relieved and gratified that Jonathan no longer needs to worry about facing an unjustified suspension.

On the other hand, Commissioner Tagliabue’s rationalization of Commissioner Goodell’s actions does nothing to rectify the harm done by the baseless allegations lodged against Jonathan. Jonathan has a right and every intention to pursue proving what really occurred and we look forward to returning to a public forum where the true facts can see the light of day.

We call upon Commissioner Tagliabue to release the transcripts of the proceedings held before him so that they are available as we go forward. Finally, it is regrettable that the NFL continues unjustifiably to attack the New Orleans Saints, an organization comprised of decent and honest people who continue to stand strong in the face of these baseless attacks.”

The big question as Vilma goes forward with his defamation case is what impact those transcripts will have.

Tagliabue has rescinded Vilma’s suspension, but he hasn’t said Vilma did nothing wrong. If Vilma’s defamation case goes to trial, a jury will get to see the same evidence Tagliabue has seen, and a jury will determine whether Goodell defamed Vilma by overstating just what the case was against him.

They're guilty and they are getting basically a suspended sentance so Vilma should just let it go.

They thought Scott Fujita was guilty too.

It seems to me that it's been corroborated by Lumis, Williams and Peyton so there is guilt but apparently there isn't any evidence that points to Fujita. Tags says Vilma and the others are guilty. :shrug: If I were Vilma I think I'd just go on with my career. IMO he's guilty and he's trying to lie his way out of it.

They suspended Fujita too. Then they had to backtrack when he started fighting it, and then they said "you should have done something to stop what was going on". There's a pretty good chance this whole thing was a bunch of BS.

He got his ass beat like Manny Pacquiao did the other night.

If that were so Peyton, Loomis and Williams would haven't accepted their suspensions. It happened and people are guilty.