Vilma: Goodell’s new suspension based on “farcical review”

October 15, 2012 - 1:37 pm | Category: Sports

Vilma’s legal team claims Goodell “engaged in a farcical review (of the original suspensions), imposed the same judgment as previously imposed and continued his abuse of the process.”

Vilma’s team also claims Goodell “prejudged” the accusations against Vilma before giving him a chance to address them. It’s their contention this “conflicts with the very essence of the NFL-NFLPA” collective bargaining agreement, which is why they contend the suspension should be vacated.

Included in the filings was a declaration from Vilma’s attorney Peter Ginsberg in which Ginsberg claims former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy explained how he believes he was identified as the whistleblower in the case.

Kennedy told USA TODAY Sports last week he never talked to NFL investigators, had no knowledge of a bounty system and had a theory on how he was identified as being the league’s snitch on the case. Ginsberg declares Kennedy told him he screamed at his teammates at halftime of the 2010 NFC Championship Game that they were allowing the Saints’ defenders to hit quarterback Brett Favre “as if there’s money on it.”