Under Penalty Of Perjury, Gregg Williams Says Jonathan Vilma Pledged $10,000 To Knock Out Brett Favre in 2009 NFC Championship Game

On September 14, 2012, Gregg Williams executed a written declaration detailing and confirming much of the information previously referenced by the NFL regarding the New Orleans Saints bounty program, including the $10,000 pledge.

Specifically, in this new document Williams states, under penalty of perjury, that the bounty program was initially player-run and "very informal" before he took over and organized the program in 2009. Williams also says, under penalty of perjury, that Jonathan Vilma and fellow defensive captain Will Smith initially funded the 2009 bounty pool, or "kitty." Williams explained to Vilma and Smith that he would be taking it over and giving it more of a structure and that both Vilma and Smith were on board with his program.

Williams spends a significant portion of the unsworn document declaring exactly what the NFL wants him to, most likely in the hopes of reinstatement by cooperation. He also defines terms like "cart-offs" and "knock outs," which is fun for a football fan to read in a legal document, but mostly, he gave Jonathan Vilma exactly what he's been asking for when he claims that there is no evidence of a bounty. From paragraph 12, of the declaration:

The Saints reached the playoffs during the 2009 season and ultimately won the Super Bowl in February 2010. The pay-for-performance pool continued to operate during the 2009 NFL season playoffs. During a team meeting the night before the 2009 NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings that was played in January 2010, Mr. Vilma addressed the defensive players and coaches (including me) who were present and pledged $10,000 to any player who knocked Brett Favre out of the game. I was never given any money because of a pledge related to the injury of a particular player, because I only administered funds related to the pay for performance pool. Brett Favre was not knocked out of our game against the Vikings, so I assume the money was not paid to anyone.

The declaration was provided to Vilma this afternoon when meeting with Roger Goodell to discuss his temporarily lifted suspension.

ESPN has a PDF of Williams's declaration in full, available here. Source: New evidence presented [ESPN]