An appeals panel of three members decided to lift the suspensions of four Saints players that followed the recent bounty scandal. Scott Fujita, Will Smith, Anthony Hargrove and Jonathan Vilma are officially free to play in upcoming games and will continue being paid.
The appeal panel decided that Commissioner Roger Goodell didn’t have the jurisdiction to punish players. Since the players had testified under oath and denied that they injured players for money, Goodell didn’t have the right to issue any penalties. That responsibility, the panel stated, should have been given to Special Master Stephen Burbank. Players have expressed excitement for having the four players back on their respective teams.
