Jonathan Vilma Is the Villain and Not the Victim

It took a while, but the NFL's bounty punishments have been administered and New Orleans Saints' linebacker Jonathan Vilma got slammed the hardest.

According to NFL.com, Vilma is out for the 2012 season:

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been suspended for the 2012 season, the NFL announced Wednesday, as it handed down player discipline for the team's pay-for-performance "bounty" scandal.

Despite the harsh punishment, this comes as no surprise and although Vilma received the longest suspension of any other player, it was the right move.

We have to keep in mind here, that people like Vilma, Gregg Williams and Sean Payton are the villains in this situation. Otherwise the bounties would have never happened and the league would not have been nearly as harsh with the punishments.

In an article by Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press, Vilma had his own bounties:

According to the league, Vilma, a linebacker, offered $10,000 in cash to any player who knocked then-Cardinals QB Warner out of a playoff game at the end of the 2009 season, and the same amount for knocking then-Vikings QB Favre out of that season’s NFC Championship Game.

Now, 10-grand to a professional athlete is like one-dollar to the average citizen making your average salary. So by comparison, that's not a lot money as these guys are all making millions of dollars per season.

However, it's still a major issue that was rightfully addressed because pro players shouldn't need extra cash to get motivated to player tougher football. There's simply no need for that little monetary incentive on top of the fat paychecks they receive each week.

Not to mention, but you have the players with endorsements of sorts that also add to the bank. As for Vilma, he is being singled out more than any other player involved right now. This is the only injustice that comes from his suspension.

If anything, the league should have made all the players involved serve roughly the same suspension, because not doing so sends the wrong message when it comes to the difference of a player's reputation, ability and marketability.

Still, Vilma was the Saints' defensive captain and has been one of the league's best linebackers since his rookie campaign in 2004. Therefore, his status as a player is being held in higher regard as Vilma should have not participated or prevented these bounties from happening at all.

And whether it's Vilma or whoever in the NFL, there's absolutely no need for bounties regardless of how much a particular player makes. It ruins the integrity of the game and only creates more problems going forward.

In terms of strictly relating to defensive football, anytime a big hit occurs we're going to be skeptical about whether that player is receiving extra payment. Vilma and the Saints' bounties only enhanced the sensitivity when it comes to flagging defensive players, so tackling continues to be a lost art.

The NFL is already a league dominated by offense and is more favorable toward it, and the bounties don't do anything but damage the defensive side. For Vilma's sake though, let's hope he learns from the mistake and returns to his supreme form in 2013.

John Rozum on Twitter.