On one hand, New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said he's glad former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will force former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and defensive assistant Mike Cerullo to testify and face cross examination in the bounty appeal hearings. On the other, Vilma said he's upset he won't be able to face his accusers as Williams and Cerullo will testify either Nov. 29 or Nov. 30 in Washington D.C.
The Saints play the Falcons in Atlanta on Nov. 29. Vilma said it would be impossible for he or Saints defensive end Will Smith to make the hearings that day or the next morning because of the Thursday night game.
"I'm kind of disappointed in that these are the guys that essentially made the case against me," Vilma said Friday afternoon. "I would love to be there to see them, hear what they had to say. ... For whatever reason, (Tagliabue) felt like I didn't need to be there."
Vilma's legal team will be present at the hearings for Williams and Cerullo.
Williams said in his signed affidavit in mid-September that Vilma pledged $10,000 for any player who knocked Vikings quarterback Brett Favre out of the NFC Championship game.
Cerullo said in his signed affidavit Vilma asked to address the Saints before the 2009 NFC Divisional game against Arizona to give a speech. Cerullo said Vilma raised his hands in the air holding "two five stacks," which Cerullo interpreted as $10,000, for anyone who knocked then-Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner out of the game. Cerullo said he collected the money from Vilma and gave it to Williams. The money wasn't paid, though, because Warner wasn't knocked out of the game although he did leave briefly after receiving a brutal hit from Saints defensive end Bobby McCray.
Cerullo said Vilma addressed the Saints the next week leading up to the NFC championship game and Vilma said his prior offer from the NFC Divisional game "still stands" for any player who knocked out Favre. Cerullo said other players, including Smith and then-Saints linebacker Scott Fujita, began pledging money to the pool.
Vilma said he's fine with the appeals process ending before the season even with the possibility of he and Smith being suspended once again in the midst of the Saints surging back into the playoff hunt.
"There's always that possibility (for the penalties to be upheld), but we feel like once Gregg and Cerullo get up on the stand and testify that we feel like there's no plausible way we could still be suspended after that," Vilma said.
Vilma said there was no consultation with him of the appeals hearing timeline set by Tagliabue.
"Why would you make it so difficult on us to get there? ... Obviously, the intent was not for us to be there when you schedule it the way you scheduled it," Vilma said.
Vilma said he thinks he will testify either Dec. 3 or Dec. 4 at the Saints appeals hearings.