Jonathan Vilma suing Roger Goodell for defamation
 

New Orleans Saints' Jonathan Vilma sues commissioner Roger Goodell for defamation - ESPN

Relevant quotes:

All that I can say to this is: good. I'm glad to see someone standing up to Goodell, and if the facts aren't in Vilma's favor, then that will likely come out soon enough anyways. Vilma must be pretty confident in his case, I would think, to expose himself to the discovery process. Most potential outcomes of this lawsuit are good for us, as NFL and Patriots fans.

Re: Jonathan Vilma suing Roger Goodell for defamation
 

Could the evidence that Goodell has on Vilma be worse then what we've already seen from Williams? Vilma probably is just trying to get this public so the fans and the media can debate if it was a fair punishment.

Re: Jonathan Vilma suing Roger Goodell for defamation
 

The problem for Vilma is that he's a public figure, and so must satisfy the stringent (and badly named) "actual malice."

IOW, he needs to prove that Goodell knew what he was saying was false, and went ahead and said it anyways.

Re: Jonathan Vilma suing Roger Goodell for defamation
 

2004: $230,000 Signing Bonus: $6.03 million
2005: $305,000
2006: $667,500
2007: $750,000
2008: $4,097,500
2009: $3,300,000; $17.2 million guaranteed; Signing Bonus: $6 million
2010: $4,000,000
2011: $5,130,000

This is what Vilma has been paid over the course of the years... it totals over $30M! I have a MAJOR problem with the bolded part of Vilmas' lawer's statement: "By making these false and public statements, he has significantly harmed Jonathan's reputation and ability to make a living."

FU rich F'n F's!

Re: Jonathan Vilma suing Roger Goodell for defamation
 

While I understand your anger, I have no qualms with this: in order to win damages, Vilma will likely have to show that Goodell's statement is having/has had a negative impact on his current/future earning potentials.

Re: Jonathan Vilma suing Roger Goodell for defamation
 

It doesn't matter how much money he's made over the years. IF he was actually defamed, he's entitled to damages. In reality, though, his losing out on a season's pay is the direct result of his suspension and not the defamation, and the suspension was carried out under CBA which has a grievance process (and so can't be tried as part of this case), so the damages might not at all line up with his pay. My guess is he's doing this to get at the evidence. If it turns out that the evidence is particularly weak, the public backlash against Goodell would create a very interesting situation.

Re: Jonathan Vilma suing Roger Goodell for defamation
 

Breaking the rules probably did that!

Re: Jonathan Vilma suing Roger Goodell for defamation
 

The guy has 8-10 years to make enough money for he and his family to be set for life. This is his career, and being suspended for a year and made a pariah for one of the biggest scandals in league history is hurting his ability to profit from this career.

I don't understand why you have a problem with this.

Re: Jonathan Vilma suing Roger Goodell for defamation
 

Cool, but has anyone considered that this all works for Goodell long term?

"I tried to make the game safer, your honor, and I got calls of 'flag football.' I tried to end bounties and got sued. The biggest impediment to safety is not the NFL, but the players."

Re: Jonathan Vilma suing Roger Goodell for defamation
 

I think Vilma has no chance of collecting. He is flailing about desperately, trying to prove he is a good guy. It's really quite sad. I strongly suspect Goodell has more than enough evidence to back up what he's said. He didn't WANT to single out Vilma in this way. He felt he had no choice. It was a matter of saving the reputation of the game. One might say Goodell over reacted, and even that he is a power-hungry asshat. But it's inconceivable that he's lied.

Vilma, on the other hand, has a career and a reputation to salvage, if possible, and the damage is so devastating that he feels forced to try everything--the appeals, the suit, etc. Maybe Vilma has been unfairly singled out. Maybe he's been no worse than many others. But he did what he did. His reaction reminds me of the reaction of some of the baseball steroid-users.