Jon Vilma’s recent comments centered between two issues: money, and his core loyalty to the New Orleans Saints. One of the stories that never got out after BountyScam™ finally died and was covered up was just how in the hell Jonathan Vilma managed to pay the tab for the attorney’s fees he ran up with Peter Ginsberg. Let’s face it; that was a high dollar pony ride. Peter Ginsberg doesn’t come cheap: he doesn’t do pro-bono work and he doesn’t take on charity cases.

The common consensus is that the tab at Ginsberg’s New York office probably started at a cool million and went up from there. We speculated a few times in the hundreds of articles we cranked out during the first five months of BountyGate about how high the bill might go, and if anyone might help Vilma pay it. I felt then and still do that the glorious old fart who owns the Saints may have come to his rescue at some point; Tom Benson’s accountant may end up being one of only 3 people to know the truth. Let’s not forget that Jon Vilma was the first man in history to file suit against the Commissioner of a major sport, and he did it as much for his team as he did for himself.

At any rate Vilma indicates now that despite the check he wrote to Peter Ginsberg, his finances are still as healthy as he is. That in itself is a major statement for his mental and personal stability in a profession that sees retired players in prison for selling crack cocaine or selling the single most prized possession from their football career: The Super Bowl Ring they once wore in pride to prove they were a member of the greatest team in football. It makes me proud that Vilma put himself in a position to be able to sacrifice money for loyalty to his team this season.

That brings us back full circle to the second issue: Jon Vilma’s loyalty to the Saints. I don’t often find myself using a quote that Darin Gantt of PFT found; he’s not exactly a member of the Saints fan club. Having said that even a blind pig can often find an acorn, and this acorn says a lot about where Jon Vilma’s head is at:

“Hey, I’m good on the money side. So it’s just about winning right now. And, you know, we say that all the time. But I would like to believe that most of our team really believes that. That we’re a team. It’s not really about individuals, it’s not really about selfish, it’s just about winning. And I think that we kind of got a raw deal last year. It is what it is. And so we want to get back out there this year.”

For those who though Vilma was upset to take a pay cut this season you can put that notion away. Vilma’s not by any means washed up as a player yet and he knows it. Jon could have left the team and still be playing this season but he didn’t. I for one am proud that Jon Vilma’s still with the team and that Larry Holder who was then with CBS was proven not just wrong about Vilma never wearing a Saints jersey again, but also shortsighted about the man who still wears that number 51 jersey with pride.

Don’t look for Jonathan Vilma to be selling his Super Bowl Championship Ring anytime soon. My guess? He’ll wear it until the day he dies. For what it’s worth, this is what Jon Vilma has for his Twitter bio:

(Soon to be) Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints (Again)

Picture Credit: Pic courtesy of Tom Benson’s Saints

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