Joe Vitt has found a productive way to serve his six-week suspension for his involvement in the New Orleans Saints' "bounty" scandal: He'll move to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., to live and assist wounded soldiers through the Semper Fi Fund program.
"If I can't be around my players, maybe I can be around these 'wounded warriors,' and help them with their rehab," the Saints' assistant coach told NOLA.com. "I'm extremely fired up about this. I'm going to leave my cell phone at home, I'm going to check into Walter Reed Hospital, and I'm going to stay as long as they want me.
Jeremiah: Recapping Week 2
The New Orleans Saints' defense stood out to Daniel Jeremiah, but in a bad way. Check out other Week 2 lessons. **More ...**
"I'm fired up about that opportunity to help these guys. And I hope at the end of the day, I'm of some use to them."
"I think it's going to take me three or four days to really get the lay of the land, see what I can do to help," Vitt said. "Then once I get into the groove, I may stay up there 'til the better part of the suspension is over.
"I'm 'in.' Our players know what that means. If you're in, you're in. I'm not just going to dip my toe in the water. But I'm nervous as hell. I don't know what to expect."
It's not really appropriate to make a snarky "bounty" scandal remark when someone makes this type of decision.
Good luck to Vitt and the hospitalized veterans.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
