Roger Goodell in Commissioner Form

via NFL.com

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been suspended for the 2012 season, the NFL announced Wednesday, as it handed down player discipline for the team’s pay-for-performance “bounty” scandal.

Three other players — Scott Fujita, Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith — also were notified that they have been suspended without pay for conduct detrimental to the NFL as a result of their leadership roles in the “bounty” program that endangered player safety over three seasons from 2009 to 2011.

“It is the obligation of everyone, including the players on the field, to ensure that rules designed to promote player safety, fair play, and the integrity of the game are adhered to and effectively and consistently enforced,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Respect for the men that play the game starts with the way players conduct themselves with each other on the field.”

The discipline breaks down as follows:

• Vilma is suspended without pay for the 2012 NFL season, effective immediately per league policy for season-long suspensions.

• Linebacker Scott Fujita (now with the Cleveland Browns) is suspended without pay for the first three games.

• Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (now with the Green Bay Packers) is suspended without pay for the first eight games.

• Will Smith of the Saints is suspended without pay for the first four games.

The players are expected to appeal the punishments and will have three days to do so.

“In assessing player discipline,” Goodell said, “I focused on players who were in leadership positions at the Saints; contributed a particularly large sum of money toward the program; specifically contributed to a bounty on an opposing player; demonstrated a clear intent to participate in a program that potentially injured opposing players; sought rewards for doing so; and/or obstructed the 2010 investigation.”

“No bounty program can exist without active player participation,” Goodell added. “The evidence clearly showed that the players being held accountable today willingly and enthusiastically embraced the bounty program. Players put the vast majority of the money into this program and they share responsibility for playing by the rules and protecting each other within those rules.”

Browns coach Pat Shurmur addressed Fujita’s suspension later Wednesday.

“We will respect the commissioner’s decision,” Shurmur told The Plain Dealer.

“Scott is a valued member of the Cleveland Browns and we look forward to his participation in our offseason program and training camp,” he added.

On April 16, sources close to the linebacker told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora that Vilma was bracing himself for a suspension ranging anywhere from two to eight games.

Williams already has been suspended indefinitely by the league, while Saints coach Sean Payton is suspended without pay for the 2012 season and general manager Mickey Loomis will miss the first eight games of the season. Assistant coach Joe Vitt, suspended six games for his role in the scandal, will serve as the team’s interim coach in Payton’s absence.

According to a Sports Illustrated report from March, Vilma allegedly offered $10,000 to any player who could knock out then-Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre from the 2009 NFC Championship Game. During that game, Favre endured a number of gruesome hits, and he suffered a nasty ankle injury late in the game.

The Saints spent a portion of their offseason bolstering their linebacker corps, possibly in preparation for Vilma’s punishment. The Saints signed middle linebacker Curtis Lofton away from the Atlanta Falcons in March and later added former St. Louis Ram Chris Chamberlain

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As Bucs coach Greg Schiano was preparing for the NFL draft, his thoughts kept drifting to Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed during a game in 2010 against Army.

“Leading up to the draft, I couldn’t help but think that this should’ve been Eric’s draft class,” Schiano said.

So on Tuesday, the Bucs signed LeGrand to a contract as a gesture by Schiano.

“This small gesture is the least we could do to recognize his character, spirit, and perseverance,” Schiano said. “The way Eric lives his life epitomizes what we are looking for in Buccaneer Men.”

The release was distributed by the Bucs Tuesday morning and read the same as the signing of any college free agent.

“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced today that they signed college free agent DT Eric LeGrand. LeGrand joins the Buccaneers from Rutgers University, where he played in 31 games. During his time with the Scarlet Knights, he recorded 60 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries, before his playing career ended prematurely.”

LeGrand, who is finishing up his studies at Rutgers and hopes to become a broadcaster, was stunned by Schiano’s decision to offer him a chance to sign with the Bucs.

He said a No. 52 jersey, Buccaneeres helmet and contract are being shipped to him in New Jersey. Not coincidentally, LeGrand was signed on May 2, or 5-2.

I said, “Are you serious?’ LeGrand said in a conference call Tuesday. “You want do this for me?’ He said, “It’s the least we could do.’ I said, “I don’t even know what to say to you right now, coach. This is amazing. Thank you.’

“This is something I always dreamed about, to go to the NFL and retire and become a sportscaster. Dreams do come true if you really believe. If you do the right things in life, good things happen to you. He did this out of the kindness of his heart where he just wanted to do it. I had no idea, no idea this was going to happen. And look, just being the person I am working hard every day, just trying to help other people out, things like this happen to me. Honestly, it’s amazing. It is, it really is.”

LeGrand’s inspiring story is well documented and gained national attention. LeGrand fractured two vertebrae and suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed. Doctors told him he would most likely be a quadriplegic and resigned to a ventilator, but only five weeks after the injury, LeGrand was able to resume breathing on his own. Eventually, he was able to stand upright with help from a metal frame.

On Oct. 29, 2011, one year after his injury, LeGrand led the Rutgers football team onto the field in the Scarlet Knights stadium. He also joined the team during Senior Day festivities prior to Rutgers’ win that year vs. Cincinnati Nov. 19.

LeGrand was on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s 2011 year-end issue and his return to the football field was voted the magazine’s Moment of the Year.

After the injury, Schiano would coach his team at Rutgers during the day and make the more than one hour drive from Piscataway to Hackensack, N.J., to sit with LeGrand overnight at the hospital and relieve his mother, Karen. LeGrand considers Schiano a ‘father figure.’

“You know, I was going into Rutgers as a little boy and I’m coming out a man,” LeGrand said. “He’s that type of person. When you’re faced with adversity, he’s going to say you’re not going to back down at all. He’s going to make sure you take it front on and deal with whatever the situation is. In life, you can’t control what cards you’re dealt and you’ve just got to deal with that card you’re dealt. That’s what helped me through my whole situation, just living on a daily basis.

“It’s hard sometimes when you want to feed yourself or you have an itch and you want to scratch yourself, sometimes it’s disappointing. Then you think about all the kinds of stuff coach Schiano taught us at Rutgers and you just kind of fight through it. It’s not going to last long. Tough times don’t last, only tough people do. That’s why I do, I just stay on my daily grind. I take this as if I’m preparing for a football game. I don’t know when that football game is going to be, but I’m preparing for it every single day as I’m going through my rehab.”

LeGrand beleived he was on the path as a player at Rutgers that would’ve eventually led him to a playing career in the NFL.

“Oh yeah, that was the whole goal,” LeGrand said. “That’s what you work for and dream for. Playing football, always wanted to get to the NFL and believed I had a good shot at it. Unfortunately, the injury happened but it was a fortunate thing that I was able to help a lot more people out there in the world not playing football than if I was playing.”

Now LeGrand’s goals have changed. He said he’s progressing with his rehabiliation and is able to sit up for 15 minutes at a time. He expects to graduate with a degree in labor studies at Rutgers next fall and has partnered with IMG to continue his broadcasting career. He recently helped call the Scarlet Knights’ spring game.

Oh yeah, and he plans to walk again.

“My goal is to walk,” LeGrand said. “I know it’s going to happen. I believe this happened for a reason. My goal is to get back on my feet. That’s what I’m going to keep on doing, I’m going to keep on fighting. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but I know down the road that is going to happen because if you believe in yourself, if you believe in the Man Above, anything is possible.’’

LeGrand’s recovery can be followed through his Twitter feed, @EricLeGrand52.

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“To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.”

— Anatole France

Dreamers dream for a living. Sometimes it works. But when your reveries produce thoughts of starting up a new professional football league, dreams tend to become delusional and eventually morph into cold-sweat-uh-oh-I’m-going-broke nightmares.

Jaime Cuadra is one such dreamer. And he fully intends to act on it and live it.

Cuadra, 52, is all San Diego. He came to this country from Nicaragua as a baby, attended El Cajon Valley High and received two degrees from USD. From an office downtown, he serves as chief financial officer for Umani Seafood, which owns two bluefin tuna farms, one near Ensenada in Baja and one in Croatia.

Now how one goes from counting tuna profits to starting up a new spring football league beats me, but as Cuadra puts it: “I’m an accountant by education and an entrepreneur by nature.”

As history explains, those who have tried to start up football leagues in a country dominated by the NFL have failed, including the USFL, which had Donald Trump’s ego and money behind it, the ego eventually leading to its downfall. Cuadra has acquired the USFL brand, and as its president and CEO hopes to have an eight-team league (14 games, two playoffs games and a championship) start up by next spring in non-NFL cities. The new USFL will be headquartered here.

Cuadra is dreaming, but he has the right attitude and plan, and he’s enlisted as a consultant Jim Steeg, the former Chargers COO, who for 34 years served the NFL as the man in complete charge of Super Bowls and special events. Smart move. There aren’t many people who know professional football’s insides better than Jim Steeg.

“I like the idea a lot,” Steeg says. “I haven’t talked to anyone who thinks the idea sucks. If you truly believe a triple-A spring football league has merit, this is the way to go. It’s not meant to compete with the NFL. It will give players the opportunity to develop. There are 3,000 football players and only 1,800 roster spots in the NFL. Particularly with the NFL’s new CBA, I think this kind of thing has a different place.”

Steeg must like the idea, because, “I’m not getting paid.” At least not yet.

The key to what he has to say is that, first and foremost, any new league must stay out of direct competition with the NFL. The original USFL did it the wrong way, going after high-priced players and eventually paying the price. How many times have league-starters said they don’t plan on competing with the NFL and then go off the deep end?

“The USFL and UFL did the same thing — they weren’t fiscally responsible,” Cuadra says. “The XFL went totally gimmicky. It’s not going to work with purists. NFL Europe was a great idea, but costly. We can see the mistakes that have been made and try to avoid them.

“We’re going to play in the spring when fans are dying for football. We’re going to take players who didn’t quite make it to the NFL and develop them — we’re talking anywhere from 1,000 to 1,800 kids and giving them a living wage, $3,000-to-$3,500 per game, and give them unfettered access to the NFL. They will be paid by the league, to keep things under control.”

Cuadra claims he has no intentions, at any time, to bump hats with the NFL. Exactly the opposite.

“The NFL can come to practices; if they want one of our players, we aren’t going to stop them,” he says. “The USFL will be about developing players with only a soft association with the NFL. We want to go back to the old roots and allow fans to develop a game-day experience. We want to make sure players can make the transition away from football, not only developing as a player, but as a person. We want to play an exciting brand of football, with good coaches who want to teach the game.

“We must make sure we run the business well. Will we hit pitfalls? Absolutely. But all players and coaches contracts will be funneled through the league. The owners won’t be able to go outside the pay structure. The owners will contribute to a salary pool.”

These will be minor league teams with minor league pay, which definitely is the right way to go. Cuadra plans an organization with checks and balances. He has good ideas. Now he has to find owners and places to play. He’s looking at the likes of Akron, Ohio, Portland, San Jose, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Austin, Texas, Memphis, Raleigh-Durham, N.C., Birmingham, Ala., Omaha, Neb., and Baton Rouge, La.

“We’re staying away from NFL cities and avoiding major league baseball cities,” he says. “We’re looking at cities with high college concentrations with little or no NFL exposure. It can be done not nearly as expensively as some other leagues that started up. There are ways to do this. We don’t have to go to the NFL with our hand out.

“We’d like a commissioner with Hall of Fame credentials; we want somebody with a name, but we don’t want all responsibility to fall on one person. I’m going to be the guy who sits in the background and runs the business aspect. I like to stay low-key.

“I see this as a league that opens doors. I see this as a need. I’d give it 75-percent odds that it will fly. I’ve had other businesses where I was told they weren’t going to work. I’ve had some of that now; I’ve also had a lot of people tell me it’s a good idea.”

As Steeg says: “There’s a long ways to go.”

But Cuadra’s patient — and driven.

“I’m one of those guys who always said when other people got things started: “That’s a great idea. Why didn’t I think of that?”” Cuadra says. “That’s what I’m doing. It’s a romantic idea, but a romantic idea with legs.”

A dream with legs? Go ahead and run with it.

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It won't be easy for the Saints to overcome the loss of head coach Sean Payton.

Written By: JD Kruger
TGP Owner & Editor
In what appears to only be the first round of punishment in regards to the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal, the league offices sent a clear message that they would not be tolerated this sort of behavior.

Saints head coach Sean Payton has been suspended for the year without pay. General Manager Mickey Loomis has been suspended for half the season, and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been told that he must stay away from the league for an indefinite amount of time.

The Saints have also incurred a $500,000 fine and will give up their 2nd round draft selections in both 2012 and 2013.

The NFL is still waiting to dole out punishments for approximately 25 players. The NFLPA requested that the league hold off on any disciplinary action until their own private investigation had been completed.

There is a mixed bag of reactions regarding the Saints punishment, but you want get an argument out of me. It’s possible to argue that the punishment was “too harsh” if this was one occasion or one instance of an illegal “bounty”.

But instead, what we have here is an entire organizational and systematic structure to a plethora of bounties over the course of three years or so. It’s also been reported by several former players that Williams supported similar systems throughout his career to varying degrees for several teams.

Not only do I believe that the punishment is fair… but even too light. That might sound a bit harsh, but hear me out.

The Saints are going to be without Sean Payton (an offensive guru) for the entire year. They will be without their general manager for half the year.

They hired a competent and deserving Steve Spagnoulo as their new defensive coordinator, but he is the prime candidate to become the interim head coach. A position that didn’t suit him in St. Louis.

To top it all off, quarterback Drew Brees and his contract is in a constant state of flux. A deal couldn’t be made, so the Saints designated him as their franchise player, which only angered him more. Does Drew Brees even want to return at this point?

It is not completely out of the realm of possibility that the Saints completely bomb this year. It’s doubtful that anyone would be shocked if that prediction turned from potential to reality in 2012. What do the Saints get in return?

Potentially a Top 5 draft pick. The league was being very considerate when they only decided to incur a penalty of a couple second rounders instead of a pair of firsts.

For a system that rewarded causing serious and lasting harm to another player(s).  And for that same system to seep through the cracks of the league offices for three years — after repeated and emphatic warnings. The punishment could have — and probably should have — been a lot harsher.

And for that reason, I think the Saints and their fans have what appears to be a silver lining.

Roger Goodell decided to lay down the hammer, but he was still a combo or two shy of a full-out fatality.

Written By: JD Kruger
TGP Owner & Editor

A few short months ago, it was thought that Eagles WR DeSean Jackson was headed out of town.

His attitude was dismal and lackadaisical. He was lazy, and rarely put forth the effort required to become a great football player. Jackson voiced concern over running certain routes, normally ones that focused on him going across the middle, in fear of getting hurt. He was wary and afraid of taking the big hits that we so often witness in the National Football League.

DeSean Jackson wanted to get paid. There is nothing else to tell.

So, naturally, when the Eagles designated their Franchise Tag to Jackson, the initial reaction was that there was a potential trade in the works.

But that wasn’t the case. The Eagles rewarded Jacksons diva behavior and bad sportsmanship with a long term contract extension. The 5-year, $51 million dollar extension far exceeds the wideouts worth.

Is he going to come into the 2012 season well prepared? With a good attitude? Will he do not only what is expected of him, but above and beyond the call of duty?

Regardless of Jacksons ability to run in a straight line and be a game changing return man… Is the potential talent and headache that follows worth a $50 million gamble?!

Written By: JD Kruger
TGP Owner & Editor

The market wasn’t nearly as kind to Matt Flynn as he had hoped before the free agent period started.

Matt Flynn signed a three year contract with the Seattle Seahawks for a reported $24 million.

The deal with Seattle comes after garnering little interest on the open market. Seattle was the most interested suitor, and Miami joined in late after they were ruled out of the chase for QB Peyton Manning. The Cleveland Browns also showed some interest, but it was minimal.

The Seahawks have been pushing to add another QB this offseason, and were reportedly interested in Chad Henne (who has since signed with Jacksonville).

Matt Flynn projects as the starter in Seattle, and should easily beat out failed quarterback prospects such as Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst.

Written by: Jason La Canfora

Peyton Manning is driving his free-agency process himself, directly dealing with team officials, and hasn’t given a firm timetable on a decision, according to sources with knowledge of the process.

The four-time NFL MVP quarterback has worked out for three teams — the Titans, Broncos and 49ers — and, according to sources, looked good at his workouts.

“I wouldn’t say he’s all the way back, but definitely he’s on the way back,” said one source with a working knowledge of the process. “You could really see (how close he is) on some throws. He’s getting there.”

Manning, not agent Tom Condon, is handling much of the arrangements and setups for workouts and is in personal contact with team officials. While some in the Manning camp have suggested a decision would come by Tuesday, Manning hasn’t stated that himself to teams, sources said, and teams are waiting patiently to hear back from him following his workouts.

Manning hasn’t entered into contract negotiations with the final teams, sources said, and officials with those teams figure that Manning, if and when he chooses where he wants to play, will directly contact the team to let them know he wants to proceed, and then the expectation is Condon will take over negotiations.

“There is a very small circle involved in this,” said one source with knowledge of the situation. “It may really just be Peyton, his father and his wife.”

Manning has told teams he expects to be able to participate in organized team activities this spring, and, with six months or so before the season starts, his health is becoming less and less of a concern. After four neck surgeries, however, it certainly could be addressed in the contract.

Though Manning hasn’t talked money with teams, several sources with knowledge of the process said the final suitors are assuming Manning would remain one of the highest-paid players in the game, with an average salary in the range of $20 million, but all of that remains an unknown for now. The teams also anticipate that once Manning decides on a team, the negotiation process could move swiftly.

Manning expressed a desire to get a feel for a team’s facilities, staff and surroundings during his visits. “He really wanted to see how comfortable he could be there,” one source said. “It was all football.”

At this point, the teams involved are waiting for Manning to make the next move. He has been moving at his own pace and directing this next stage of his career, and that probably will define his final days as a short-term free agent as well.

“The teams have all done everything they can do,” one source said. “You don’t want to pressure Peyton or anything like that. It’s not like you’re going to call him. When he’s been ready to move, he’s made the call himself. There isn’t anything else to do but wait.”

Written By: Huffington Post

During an emotional press conference, Peyton Manning bid farewell to the Indianapolis Colts and the fans of the franchise. Colts owner Jim Irsay began the press conference by addressing the franchise’s decision to part ways with the four-time NFL MVP, a move hastened by a March 8 deadline to pick up the option on Manning’s contract and pay a hefty bonus.

“I have been a member of the Colts nearly my whole adult life,” Manning reflected. “But nothing lasts forever…”

Both Manning and Irsay suggested that this outcome was forced by circumstance — Manning’s injury and the contract that both parties had agreed to — and stated that their relationship remains strong. After Irsay spoke, Manning addressed the media as well as Colts fans in Indianapolis.

“I do love it here,” Manning said, holding back tears. “I love the fans and I will always enjoy having played for such a great team.”

Standing with Irsay by his side, Manning briefly addressed his future, saying, “I haven’t thought about where I’ll play but I have thought a lot about where I’ve been.”

Before taking questions from the media, Manning took a moment to address the fans who have cheered him since the Colts made him the No. 1 overall selection in the 1998 NFL Draft.

“Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I truly have enjoyed being your quarterback. Thank you.”

Written By: Jarrett Bell | USA Today

When Roger Goodell metes out what is expected to be harsh punishment for a New Orleans Saints bounty system that represents perhaps the most blatant violation of football ethics under his watch, the NFLcommissioner might borrow that phrase from the book of aggression authored by former defensive coordinatorGregg Williams.

It was Williams who boldly declared during the Saints’ march to a Super Bowl crown during the 2009 season that his players would deliver “remember me” shots to opposing quarterbacks as a statement of their intimidation.

According to findings of an NFL investigation released Friday — one that implicated Williams, general managerMickey Loomis and 22 to 27 Saints defensive players from 2009 to ’11 — the tough talk was a reflection of a larger scheme.

It even came with a price list:

•Knock out an opposing player? $1,500.

•Deliver the blow that results in an opponent getting carted off the field? $1,000.

•Strike such a debilitating blow during the do-or-die playoffs? Double or triple payments.

The fund, which might have reached as much as $50,000 during the 2009 playoffs, was fueled by contributions from players and Williams, the NFL said.

“There’s no place in the game for that,” Kurt Warner, the Hall of Fame-credentialed quarterback who was knocked out of his final NFL game against the Saints during the 2009 NFC playoffs, told USA TODAY. “So obviously this is troubling.”

Against the backdrop of the NFL’s initiative on safety and former players’ lawsuits charging the league didn’t do enough to protect them from head injuries, it’s in Goodell’s hands to make a statement that will likely exceed the enormous penalties levied against the New England Patriots for their “Spygate” infractions during the 2007 season.

Coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and the Patriots were docked $250,000 and a first-round draft pick for videotaping the signals of New York Jets defensive coaches.

According to an person familiar with Goodell’s thinking who is not authorized to speak publicly while the case is ongoing, the commissioner views the Saints’ case as a critical opportunity to underscore the league’s burgeoning emphasis on safety and need to change a culture that sometimes promotes injuries, another sign a significant penalty could be coming.

The Washington Post, citing people familiar with the situation, reported Sunday that the suspensions could be a half-season or longer in some cases.

During his six-year reign Goodell has typically moved swiftly in determining discipline. He is expected to rule before NFL owners convene for meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., on March 25.

As outlined in the league’s announcement on Friday, the discipline could include fines, suspensions and loss of draft picks.

“The stance that Roger takes will have to reflect the thought that everybody — coaches, owners, players, staff members — has to realize that they cannot put themselves in a situation where they are jeopardizing the integrity of the game,” Hall of Fame safetyRonnie Lott, a member of the NFL safety committee, told USA TODAY. “Everyone has to be accountable.”