Roger Goodell hands off bounty appeals to former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue

NEW YORK NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has appointed his predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, to hear the appeals of four players suspended in the Saints bounties scandal.

Goodell says Friday that he notified Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove, as well as the players' union, that Tagliabue would be the hearing officer to "decide the appeals and bring the matter to a prompt and fair conclusion."

The union and the four players had asked Goodell to recuse himself, contending he could not fairly rule. The appeals originally had been scheduled for Tuesday, but according to CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora, the hearing has been moved to Oct. 30.

Vilma was suspended for the 2012 season and Smith was banned four games for his role in the bounties program. Fujita, now with the Browns, was barred three games, since reduced to one. Hargrove, a free agent, had his suspension reduced from eight games to seven.

"Tagliabue, of course, was in Goodell's position from 1989-2006, so it wouldn't appear as though the NFL is completely interested in having an independent observer hear the appeals," writes CBSSports.com's Josh Katzowitz. "But the fact Goodell is ceding power is, from what I can remember, unprecedented."

• NFLPA: League allowed bounties in 1996
• Suspended player Jonathan Vilma practices
• 4 players file bounty appeals, want Goodell of the case

Meanwhile, the former Vikings player identified by the NFL as a "whistleblower" in the bounty case says the league is lying about his statements.

Jimmy Kennedy released a statement Friday saying that the NFL called him to ask about a bounty program, and he told them that he did not know anything about it. Kennedy, a former defensive lineman for Minnesota, says his reputation and character have been "irreparably damaged by the shoddy, careless, shameful so-called investigation," by the NFL.

"Roger Goodell identifies me as the `whistleblower' who approached former Viking coach Brad Childress about an alleged bounty on Brett Favre in the NFC Championship game," Kennedy's statement says. "That is a lie."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in response that, "Jimmy Kennedy and Brad Childress were interviewed separately by our office as part of the investigation. We are confident of the accuracy of the information that has been disclosed."