In a sworn affidavit that implicated Jonathan Vilma in the Saints bounty scandal, Gregg Williams also stated that a pay-for-perfomance program was already in place in New Orleans before he became a coach for the Saints in 2009.
Gregg Williams Says Saints Bounty Program Existed Before His Arrival, Per Report
According to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, Williams indicated that he altered and revamped an extant pay-for-performance program and that his system never paid players for injuring specific opponents or for hits that resulted in penalties. The former Saints defensive coordinator stated that no illegal hits were rewarded, even if they were mistakenly called by referees. He also testified in the document that specific players were never targeted. Williams signed the affidavit for the NFL as the league prepared for meetings with the four players initially suspended for the bounty scandal.
Williams also testified in the statement that Vilma put a $10,000 bounty on Brett Favre. The affidavit alleges that Vilma issued the bounty at a team meeting before the NFC Championship game against the Vikings. It also states that the linebacker "endorsed the program" that Williams revamped in 2009. Vilma has vehemently denied the allegations, and said Williams was bullied by Commissioner Roger Goodell into signing the document.
Vilma met with the league for three hours on Monday, when the affidavit was presented to him. Anthony Hargrove, Will Smith, and Scott Fujita are scheduled to meet with the NFL on Tuesday. La Canfora also reported that Fujita is not mentioned anywhere in the affidavit.
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