NFL Commissioner facing lawsuit

He may be the most important man in the NFL, but one player wants a piece of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma is suing Goodell for defamation, saying the commissioner damaged his reputation in suspending him for a year for his role in the much talked about Saints bounty program.

Goodell suspended Vilma, an eight-year vet and the Saints defensive captain, and three other current and past members of the Saints for participating in a bounty program that rewarded players for taking out major players on opposing teams. Vilma was handed the stiffest punishment of the four: a season-long suspension without pay; the same punishment handed to Saints coach Sean Payton.

Vilma has vehemently denied being the leader of the bounty program, and has taken to Twitter to share his thoughts. "I NEVER PAID, NOR INTENDED TO PAY ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY, TO ANY PLAYER FOR INTENTIONALLY HURTING AN OPPONENT," Vilma said through his Twitter account.

By suing Goodell, Vilma is sending a strong statement challenging the validity of the evidence presented against him. Vilma insists he was never interviewed about his alleged role and has yet to see any of the evidence presented. The NFL Player's Association also requested to view any hard evidence, but says the NFL has refused to comply. But the league hired former federal prosecutor Mary Jo White to review its evidence, and White has said the NFL's findings were supported by valid documentation and multiple independent witnesses.

It's unclear whether or not Goodell would make public what he knows about Vilma's involvement to justify a year-long suspension, but this lawsuit certainly puts a much bigger pressure on the commissioner to release the information.

If I'm Vilma, and I'm a 100 percent sure I didn't front money for a bounty start-up program, then the lawsuit is a smart decision. As rightfully stated, this suspension affects his income and casts a dark cloud on his reputation on the field. It labels him a dirty player and leaves his future in the league vulnerable if he's released by the Saints.

At this point, you have two sides of this issue standing behind their statements. But there can only be one person telling the truth. The three other players suspended–linebacker Scott Fujita, defensive end Will Smith and defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove–have apologized for their roles, but Vilma continues to stand his ground. It is time for Commissioner Goodell to release the evidence so this story can be put to bed.