The four players suspended for their roles in the New Orleans Saints' bounty program will have their appeals heard by commissioner Roger Goodell on June 18, a source with knowledge of the situation told NFL.com.
Saints Bounty Scandal
According to the report, the meeting will be the first between the commissioner and the players since Goodell dealt out punishment for the system that ran from 2009 to 2011. That includes Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who sued Goodell for defamation after being suspended for the entire 2012 season.
In addition to Vilma's year-long ban, Goodell suspended Saints defensive end Will Smith for four games, former Saints defensive end Anthony Hargrove, now with Green Bay, for eight games and linebacker Scott Fujita, now with Cleveland, for three games.
The NFL Players' Association has filed a grievance contending the new collective bargaining agreement prohibits Goodell from punishing players for any conduct before the CBA was signed last summer.
An arbitrator has yet to rule on that grievance, which also seeks to have player appeals heard by Art Shell and Ted Cottrell, who are jointly appointed by the league and union to review discipline handed out for on-field conduct.
An NFL investigation determined the Saints ran a bounty system from 2009-11 that offered thousands of dollars to players for big hits that knocked opponents out of games.
In March, Goodell suspended Saints head coach Sean Payton for all of next season without pay, and levied other penalties against the club.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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