IRVING, Texas – NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he "fundamentally disagrees" with former league boss Paul Tagliabue's decision not to discipline players in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal.
Speaking after an owners meeting Wednesday in the Dallas area, Goodell said he respected his predecessor's decision to vacate a yearlong suspension of linebacker Jonathan Vilma and shorter bans for three other current and former Saints players.
But Goodell said players deserved to be punished as much as New Orleans coaches and management. He said he held "everyone responsible."
In an NFL appeal ruling Tuesday, Tagliabue tossed the suspensions, saying the punishment was too heavy-handed. But he affirmed much of the probe's findings that the Saints, including Vilma, had an improper cash-for-hits program and tried to cover it up.
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