DeMaurice Smith wants the NFL to open its books. Sound familiar?

No, we're not talking about finances again. This time the players union wants the full story of the investigation into the Saints bounty program, with Smith making a rare public statement regarding the case.

Commissioner Roger Goodell says he expects to have a conversation with the union before handing down punishment for any of the 22-27 players involved in the Saints pay-for-pain incentive program from 2009-11.

Smith says he's yet to see any hard evidence that players participated in such a program.

"As of yet, they haven't turned over anything that we would consider to be direct evidence of player involvement in a 'pay to injure' scheme that we could consider for discipline," Smith told union publication ProPlayersInsider, via CBS Sports. "It's very hard to have a productive discussion about punishment when one side has kept, to itself, all the information.

"What I would expect is to have a conversation soon and certainly it would be our expectation that the request for all information, as it relates to particular players, will be provided before any discipline takes place."

Smith calls the media speculation surrounding player punishment a "very unfair situation." He says when/if hard evidence is provided by the league, the union will take the side of player safety.

"Whether it comes down to Roger or myself, I don't think either of us would prefer to have a disciplinary system that is being played out in public with people relying on less than full information. That does nothing to benefit the integrity of the men who play the game. It certainly does nothing to champion the disciplinary system. It does call into question issues of fairness and what's appropriate."