The NFL Players Association is seeking a temporary federal restraining order that would allow players suspended in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal to play in Week 1 of the regular season.
Saints Bounty Case: NFLPA Requests Federal Restraining Order Allowing Suspended Players To Play
The motion was filed on behalf of three of the four suspended players: Saints defensive end Will Smith, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita and free agent defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove. Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma filed for a similar motion when his full-season suspension began.
In the proposed retraining order, the union argues that the players would suffer irreparable harm if forced to miss games while their case against the league continues. The players want the suspension thrown out entirely because of the way the discipline process was handled.
There is a dispute on whether the league’s collective bargaining agreement gives Commissioner Roger Goodell the authority to both punish the players and hear their appeals for the alleged pay-for-injure scheme.
Players have denied employing such a bounty program, while admitting there was a pay-for-performance program in which players would receive extra money for big hits and big plays
For more Saints coverage, check out Canal Street Chronicles. Follow the latest developments in the bounty case in this StoryStream.
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