NESN

Report: Jonathan Vilma Asking Roger Goodell to Recuse Himself From Bounty Suspension Ruling

Jonathan Vilma is not prepared to give up his fight against Roger Goodell, and now the New Orleans Saints linebacker is accusing the commissioner of making things personal.

Vilma has filed an appeal in U.S. district court asking that Goodell recuse himself from the case "on the basis of bias and partiality," reports ESPN's Ed Werder.

The idea seems to be that if Judge Ginger Berrigan agrees with Vilma, the commish would have to step away from the proceedings, and someone else would rule on Vilma's appeal.

The move appears to be an attempt to get around Goodell's nearly complete authority in regards to player conduct, something that the players have complained about in the past. Werder points out that the ruling in district court would override the NFL's bylaws, which the players negotiated in the last CBA and grant Goodell the power to review appeals himself.

Vilma and teammate Will Smith both had their suspensions for roles in the Saints BountyGate scandal upheld earlier this week, while Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove saw theirs reduced.