Vilma, others fight suspensions in bounty case

Vilma, named by the NFL as a ringleader of the operation, appealed his season-long suspension while the NFL Players Association notified the league it was reserving the appeal rights of Saints defensive end Will Smith and those of ex-Saints Anthony Hargrove and Scott Fujita.

All four players and the union argue that no appeal should be heard before NFLPA grievances are resolved questioning NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's authority to discipline the players and to hear their appeals.

Vilma's appeal also states the NFL has not presented any evidence linking him to a system in which players were paid to injure opponents. It asks the league to provide a wide range of documentation, including witness statements and the names of those witnesses.

Vilma received the harshest of the suspensions, followed by Hargrove (eight games) Smith (four games) and Fujita (three games). Monday was their deadline to appeal.

Hargrove now is with Green Bay. Fujita, a member of the NFLPA's executive committee who has played for Cleveland since 2010, made his first public statement since all four suspensions were handed down last Wednesday. Like Vilma and Smith before him, Fujita denied involvement in a "bounty pool" and challenged the league's findings.

"I disagree wholeheartedly with the discipline imposed," Fujita said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. "I've yet to hear the specifics of any allegation against me, nor have I seen any evidence that supports what the NFL alleges.

"I look forward to the opportunity to confront what evidence they claim to have in the appropriate forum," Fujita continued. "I have never contributed money to any so-called 'bounty' pool, and any statements to the contrary are false. To say I'm disappointed with the League would be a huge understatement."

The players' maneuvers came on the same day copies of a sworn statement by Hargrove were obtained by media including the AP.

Hargrove's statement describes how he was instructed by ex-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and current New Orleans assistant head coach Joe Vitt to deny the existence of a bounty program to NFL investigators.

The interpretation of his statement is a matter of debate, however.

The NFL has said that Hargrove's words acknowledge the existence of a bounty program and show that Hargrove initially lied to NFL investigators about it. The union notes that Hargrove's statement does not say that he lied to anyone, nor does it state that he or any other Saints participated in a bounty program.