The plot thickens in the increasingly twisted road of the New Orleans Saints' "bounty" scandal.
Wyche: Show and tell
Does the NFL have proof that the Saints implemented a "bounty" program? Steve Wyche got a good look at the evidence. **More ...**
NFL outside counsel Mary Jo White said during Monday's meeting with reporters that marketing agent Mike Ornstein backed the claim that Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma put up $10,000 to knock Brett Favre out of the NFC championship in January 2010, along with another $10,000 to take out Kurt Warner in the divisional round.
Ornstein now denies that ever happened.
"I never corroborated $10,000," Ornstein told ProFootballTalk.com on Tuesday. "The only thing that I told them was that we had the (pregame) meeting, we jumped around, we screamed around, and I never saw (Vilma) offer one dime. And I never heard him say it."
Ornstein told PFT the team administered a pay-for-performance program in 2009, but he denies telling the league Vilma offered money for knocking opponents out of games: "Did I say to the league that I saw Jonathan Vilma offer $10,000? Absolutely not."
When asked for comment on the PFT story, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told NFL.com on Tuesday, "We stand by the findings of our investigation."
Vilma maintains that "information" doesn't pass as proof:Â
