As expected, New Orleans Saints players Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith are suspended, again, for what NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says was a "bounty" system that rewarded players for hurting other players.  The case probably won't be settled until the federal judiciary weighs in.
 
Vilma sued the commissioner and the league in federal court in New Orleans, but the case has been in limbo -- Judge Ginger Berrigan wanted to see how the NFL's internal appeals process played out.

"Last time we heard from Judge Berrigan, she did suggest that she wanted to wait until this part of the process played itself out," said Tulane Sports Law Program Director Gabe Feldman.  

"Now that it's played out, she may actually feel that she has the ability to rule, and she may feel that despite what the arbitration panel said and despite what Commissioner Goodell said that they're wrong, and they're not actually following their own procedures, and they're not following the letter of the agreement and that the commissioner's acted in an arbitrary and capricious way," he said.

Judge Berrigan said in open court this summer that it doesn't sound like the NFL's process has been fair to the players.  But she also expressed doubt as to whether the law would allow her to rule in the players' favor.