NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has appointed his predecessor, Paul Tagliabue to hear the player appeals involved with the Saints bounty scandal that resulted in suspension for four players, including Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, Goodell announced Friday.
Tagliabue was appointed after the four suspended players and the players' union requested that he recuse himself as he could not fairly rule. Taglibue was appointed as the NFL Commissioner in 1989 and retired just prior to the beginning of the 2006 season.
Fujita was originally suspended for three games, but that suspension was reduced to just one game. He was a member of the Saints for four seasons before joining the Browns for the 2010 season. He has 598 career tackles and 23.5 career sacks. He was suspended for his involvement in a Saints bounty scandal that featured players allegedly being paid monetary incentives to cause injuries to opponents.
Taglibue is scheduled to hear the appeals on Tuesday, Oct. 30.