The lawyer for Jonathan Vilma, Peter Ginsberg, filed "a memorandum in support of injunctive relief in light of recent public comments" in the U.S. District Court of Louisiana on Monday, taking aim at the actions of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Ginsberg's contention is that Goodell's statements over the weekend "warrant judicial attention" and strength Vilma's case for an injunction, which would lift the NFL's season-long suspension on the New Orleans Saints linebacker as the lawsuits against Goodell made their way through the courts.
Ginsberg cited Article 46, Section 2(ii) of the CBA -- which mandates that the league turn over any evidence they plan to use to Vilma three days prior to the appeal -- and wrote that since the league said it had 55,000 pages of evidence "it is simply impossible that Goodell only considered the evidence produced prior to the appeal hearing, both because 180 pages do not come close to justifying any punishment and because it is humanly impossible to block out, and not consider, 99 percent of the information gathered."
Ginsberg also asserted that Goodell's public comments on the infractions had shifted from being bounty related, to accusing the Saints only of "a program that rewarded players for good, clean plays that did not involve designated specific opposing players for injury."
Vilma's lawyer also cited leaks to the media over the weekend detailing confidential settlement talks and claimed they "reflect a long-standing media campaign by Goodell and the NFL in this matter."
On Friday, Judge Helen Berrigan will hear the NFL's motion to dismiss Vilma's and the NFL Players Association's lawsuits.
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