Jonathan Vilma

Just when the wound was starting to scab over until the games actually started, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell re-entered our lives today to mete out some more punishment. Middle Linebacker and Defensive Captain Jonathan Vilma will be suspended for an entire year for his role in the Saints' Bounty scandal, while defensive lineman Will Smith will be out for four games. 

Former Saints Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove, both of whom were on the winning Super Bowl team of 2009, will also be suspended. Fujita got a three-game suspension from the Cleveland Browns, and Hargrove will have to sit out eight games. The players, except for Vilma, can take part in offseason acitivities, including preseason games.

Vilma joins Sean Payton in the proverbial penalty box for the entire year. The league seems to have found that his infamous offer of $10,000 for a sidelining hit on Arizona Quarterback Kurt Warner was true. From NFL.com:

The investigation concluded that while a captain of the defensive unit, Vilma assisted Coach Williams in establishing and funding the program. Multiple independent sources also confirmed that Vilma offered a specific bounty -- $10,000 in cash -- to any player who knocked Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner out of the 2009 Divisional Playoff Game and later pledged the same amount to anyone who knocked Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre out of the 2009 NFC Championship Game the following week (played on January 24, 2010). Vilma is eligible to be reinstated after the Super Bowl in 2013.

Hargrove submitted a signed declaration to the league about the existence of the bounty program, and also obstructed the league's investigation in 2010. The league said Hargrove told at least one other player on another team about the investigation.

Smith and Fujita were suspended for their participation in the bounty scheme, and contributing large sums of money into the program.

The four players are already planning to appeal their suspensions, according to NBC.

Soon after the penalties were released, the NFL Players Association issued a statement that said the players never saw any solid evidence.

"After seeing the NFL's decision letters, the NFLPA has still not received any detailed or specific evidence from the league of these specific players' involvement in an alleged pay-to-injure program," the statement said. "We have made it clear that punishment without evidence is not fair. We have spoken with our players and their representatives and we will vigorously protect and pursue all options on their behalf."