After a lengthy investigation, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended four current and former members of the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday for "willingly and enthusiastically" embracing the bounty program utilized by the team from 2009-11.

But don't expect the players to take the punishment lying down.

Saints middle linebacker and team captain Jonathan Vilma, whose season-long suspension (effective immediately) was the most severe punishment, said in a statement: "I am shocked and extremely disappointed by the NFL's decision to suspend me for the 2012 season. ... I intend to fight this injustice, to defend my reputation, to stand up for my team and my profession, and to send a clear signal to the commissioner that the process has failed, to the detriment of me, my teammates, the New Orleans Saints and the game."

The NFL Players Association and executive director DeMaurice Smith seem to be closing ranks around Vilma, Saints defensive end Will Smith (suspended four games) and former New Orleans linebacker Scott Fujita (now a Cleveland Brown, suspended three games) and defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (now a Green Bay Packer, suspended eight games).

"We will vigorously protect and pursue all options on their behalf," DeMaurice Smith said in a statement. He and Vilma said the league has not produced any evidence to support its severe ruling.

However the players, who were given three days to appeal, may have significant hurdles to overcome. The collective bargaining agreement signed after last summer's lockout essentially makes Goodell judge and jury for matters pertaining to the integrity of the game. Since this case technically falls under the umbrella of off-field conduct, the players can't appeal to anyone but the commissioner per the CBA's bylaws and may have difficulty getting the case in front of an outside judge.

"The players gave him extremely broad authority," says Gabe Feldman, director of Tulane's Sports Law program. "They'd have to show he exhibited bias or had no basis for the punishments, and that he acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner.

"There's always the possibility the commissioner exceeded his powers, but that's a difficult claim for the players to make. ... They are going to have to overcome the fact that they bargained for a limited appeal right and that somewhere the commissioner violated the terms of the contract."

NFL Network analyst Heath Evans, who played for the Saints during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, has little doubt Vilma and Co. will use every available legal recourse available to them.

"De Smith is not gonna put up with his players getting penalized without a paper trail," said Evans. "It's an uphill battle to suspend a player for eight games (or more) without hard evidence.

"They will probably fight this thing all the way to the Supreme Court."

Evans, whose 10-year career also included stints with the Seahawks, Dolphins and Patriots, says he wasn't aware of the bounty program while he played in New Orleans. He only knew of incentives for hard hits, turnovers and special teams tackles "which I've seen every place I've ever been at," he adds while admitting the Saints had a compartmentalized structure around the offense and defense.

"The hurt/maim (aspect), I never heard of it. I called (quarterback) Drew (Brees) to ask, 'Did we miss that?' It's upsetting," he said.

"I guess that stuff happened inside the defense's team meeting room walls."