[Senator Clay Davis]

And with this, hopefully Vilma just goes away and takes his punishment like a man

“Mr. [Gregg] Williams and Mr. [Mike] Ornstein and another member of the Saints defensive coaching staff, all of whom were present at the meeting, all stated to NFL investigators that Mr. Vilma pledged $10,000 to any player who knocked Brett Favre out of the next week’s NFC championship game against the Minnesota Vikings,” White said according to the official transcript, a copy of which PFT has obtained. “All three witnesses stated that the amount of this bounty was $10,000.”

Vilma’s offer allegedly sparked a tidal wave of similar gestures.

“According to one of the witnesses present at the meeting, the bounty offered by Mr. Vilma prior to the NFC championship game inspired additional players to pledge money for injury-producing hits or potentially injury-producing hits against opposing players or for other types of plays during the game,” White said. “Mr. Vitt told NFL investigators that this meeting, quote, got out of hand, unquote. NFL investigators were informed that a member of the defensive coaching staff kept track of the various pledges made by players at this meeting.”

White also said that an unnamed witness provided the following quote regarding Vilma’s behavior before the prior week’s game: “‘In the NFC divisional playoffs, the Saints faced the Arizona Cardinals. During a meeting of the defense the night before the game in January 2010, Jonathan Vilma, a Saints defensive captain, asked for permission to address the team, which was granted,. Mr. Vilma, in the course of giving a motivational speech to the team, stated, while raising his hands, each of which held stacks of bills, that he had two five stacks, which I understood to mean $10,000, for anyone who knocked Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner out of the game.’” White said that the quote was independently confirmed by Mike Ornstein.

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