NFL Rumors: Jonathan Vilma's Bounty Scandal Appeal Still Up In The Air

Jonathan Vilma's attempt to appeal his bounty scandal suspension—he's currently out for the year thanks to the "bountygate" evidence that got erstwhile St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams suspended indefinitely—looks like it could turn into exactly the kind of spectacle the NFL, dealing with the fall-out from Junior Seau's death and the growing concern about concussions, doesn't need. Over the weekend his lawyer, calling the appeals process "a kangaroo court," demanded the evidence the NFL had be shared with his client.

Which, of course, makes perfect sense; if Vilma hasn't seen the evidence, or hasn't been given some idea of what it entails, he deserves it. But whether he has or hasn't is, right now, irrelevant—the important thing is that he appears to have not been given it, which gives the NFL still more to worry about as it stumbles through an offseason that's brought a lot of quiet concerns about professional football out into the open.

Hopefully the end result will be a more transparent, safer NFL. But the interim result is not pretty.