a suspended linebacker, jonathan vilma, is suing roger goodell for deafination. he claims goodell made false statements and comments about his alleged role in the bounty program. our legal guys are back. avery freeman and richard herman. vilma, he went on to tweet about this, too. quite publicly saying, quote, as i said before, i never paid more intended to pay any amount of money to any player for intentionally hurting an apoebant. he is also saying the nfl relied on at best, heresy. were there recordings, richard, or documentation, would there have to be in order for the nfl to suspend a player on something like this? >> fred, there was an intense investigation done by the nfl. i don't know every avenue they turned up. i don't know all of the witnesses they interviewed, what information they got, but roger goodell acted as the judge and executioner here. he made the sole determination, vilma what not allowed to parm in that. appeared to me that maybe he had spicy gumbo, bought he brought this ridiculous lawsuit i have here. ridiculous lawsuit which is going to

roger goodell will hear the appeal. lacrosse team season ends with a loss in the semifinals.cannot put home field advantage to good use. they beat albany just two weeks ago in a wild over time finish. they did not play that game at churchill downs. that is where they will run the kentucky derby this coming saturday afternoon. the derby will feature a field of 24 cents. bodemeister or will go off as the favorite. the trainer for bodemeister suffered a heart attack just six weeks ago in march. it is the 138th running of the kentucky derby saturday in louisville. you can see that race right here on tv 11. tom tasselmyer has you >> ready for shorts? and not the corduroy kind. >> you can break out what everyone to. 82 degrees, scattered thunderstorms. looks like the storms will move through quickly saturday, early in the morning, and the rest of the weekend will turn cooler and less humid. >> the extra absorbing corduroy. >> good night, everybody. we will see you back here tomorrow. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the featuring rickey minor

commissioner roger goodell has refused to share any of the supposed evidence he claims supports this unprecedented punishment. i never set out to intentionally hurt any player and never enticed any teammate to intentionally hurt another player. >>> let's go to happier sports news in baseball. albert pujols still homerless in the slumping mark with the angels looking for something to get excited about and finally got it last night. jered weaver with an incredible performance against twins. second inning, gets a strikeout. and thomas going down swinging in the third. he had a perfect game going until he gave up a walk in the seventh inning, still a shot at the no hitter. two outs in right. this one -- uh-oh, warning track time. torii hunter gets un dale earnhardt, incorporated it and jered weaver throws the second no hitter of the season, walked only one batter. his parents right there in the stands to witness it. how great is that. took weaver 121 pitches to sit down 27 of the 28 batters he faced. it's the 10th no hitter in angels a history, the 250th by the way in the history of the

he's suing roger goodell, said he made false statements about the bounty get a role.ck. vilma went on to tweet about this, too, quite publicly saying, quote, as i said before i never paid nor intended to pay any amount of money to any player for intentionally hurting an opponent. he's also quoted as saying the nfl relied on at best hearsay. were there recordings, richard, or documentation? would there have to be for the nfl to suspend a player on something like this? >> fred, there was an intense investigation done by the nfl. i don't know every avenue they turned up. i don't know all the witnesses they interviewed, what information they got, but roger goodell acted as the judge and executioner here. he made the sole determination. vilma was not allowed to participate in that. it appears to me that maybe vilma has had spicy gum bo in the quarter because he brought this ridiculous lawsuit i have here. ridiculous lawsuit, which is going to be dismissed. >> come on now. >> avery. >> there's no way he's going to be able to prove actual malice or complete disregard for the

for me this is roger goodell's number one issue. >> rugby is a contact sport. guys hit like nothing. they have no padding. >> they don't wear helmets. >> jim, i want to call your attention to a tweet from randy cross, he said where seau's death had anything to do with depression, it's a giant ticking time bomb. the nfl makes billions of dollars in revenue. do you think this is a ticking time bomb? >> without question. you've got over 1500 retired and current players who are suing the nfl right now claiming negligence saying that they were not adequately informed about the potential long term consequences of head trauma. you also have players saying that they weren't treated correctly. and i'll say this. the league is trying to take steps here because the problem is, in talking to these neurosurgeons they don't have the scientific data to say that multiple concussions in the spaft a precursor to greater or more severe concussions in the future. there are variables at play. one one t severity, two, the time of recovery, three the incidents. they are trying to put

it's protecting roger goodell and a multibillion dollar industry.e largest form of entertainment in these united states. roger talks a good game about being concerned but at the same time he wants it to be an 18-game season. he wants to make the seasons longer. it makes him not an honest broker when we talk about player safety. he's trying to stone wall the 1,500 players that are doing the class action lawsuit. if he was serious is he would impanel a team of neurologists so we can get some true answers, not just for nfl players but for children as young as five years old who play in tackle football leagues so we know without a shadow of a doubt what the real risk factors are in playing tackle football. >> all right. all very interesting. we'll stay on top of this. thanks so much for joining us. >>> coming up, mitt romney pins a letter to the president on the eve of his campaign kickoff. the governor couldn't get through a paragraphs without lying. stay with us. recently, students from 31 countries took part in a science test. the top academic perfor

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>> gregg: as long as roger goodell has a reasonable basis for believing that his, goodell's statementshere is no defamation here. you point out correctly, you have to prove actionable malice. what does that mean? it means that goodell knew the statements were false or acted in wreckless disregard. jeanine, you have already got three people on the team, including the head coach who have issued written apologies -- >> you see, you are absolutely right with that, gregg. i always say a smart guy. you've got the written apologies. you've got the fact that you've got a federal prosecutor brought in to review -- >> gregg: one of the best. >> and what you've also got is the fact that these people, forensically apparently did an analysis that on the video, they could show that if this person's intent was to knock this person out, it appears that that was a movement. so now the question is, why would he sue? and he's suing, gregg, if you'll notice in federal court. the issue is aren't they under the collective bargaining agreement and with the nfl and the nfl players association bound to have th

one in particular, saints' linebacker filed a lawsuit against nfl commissioner roger goodell for defamationlaims goodell tarnished his reputation by making false statements about his involvement in the pay to injure scheme. he wants goidel to produce any evidence -- goodell to produce any evidence that claims he's implicated in the scandal. >>> betty white comes to washington. >> and "forbes" magazine names the most powerful celebrity in hollywood. teresa garcia has stow stories and -- those stories if more. >> reporter: 90 yield actress and ---year-old actress and comedian betty white is in washington. her new book is called "betty and friends -- my life at the zoo." >> i'm not into animal rights, don't do this, don't do that. i just want people to appreciate animals and protect them as much as they can. >> reporter: today the long time animal advocate is getting a private tour of the national zoo. who's the most powerful celebrity in hollywood? according to "forbes" magazine it's jennifer lopez. the actress, singer and "american idol" judge topped forbes' new list of the 100 most powerful

the lawsuit is based on nfl commissioner roger goodell's admission in 2011 that the league had been studying the effect of traumatic brain injuries for nearly 14 years. according to the suit, the league did not acknowledge until 2010 that concussions can lead to dementia and memory loss. more than 1,000 former nfl players including 150 ex-redskins have sued the league because they say they weren't warned of the risks of concussions. they also say their head injuries were not properly diagnosed. >>> this morning one million olympic tickets will go on sale for the 2012 games in london. organizers say priority will be given to people in britain who previously applied but did not get tickets. the seats for the opening ceremony and for the 100-meter final. the tickets go on sale at 6:00 a.m. our time. unsold tickets will be available to the general public may 23. if you can't see the olympics in person, you can watch them here on nbc 4 beginning july 27. >>> back home safe. how police were able to track down two missing sisters. >>> the controversy surrounding mayor gray and his family's use of h

the lawsuit cites nfl commissioner roger goodell's public admission in 2007 and the league had been studying the effect of traumatic brain injuries for close to 14 years. but the suit claims it wasn't until june of 2010 the league acknowledged concussions can lead to dementia and memory loss. monk said he suffers from short-term memory loss, headaches, and speech difficulties. he's one of 150 ex-redskins involved in similar lawsuits. the nfl has said any allegation that the league intentionally sought to mislead players is without merit. these seem to be coming out of the woodwork more and more la lately, especially with the suicide of junior seau. this is becoming much more common. >> thanks, dan. >> you're welcome. >>> a permanent tribute to rosa parks is now at the national cathedral. a new stone carving of the civil rights activist was dedicated this evening. that sculpture was created by a north carolina artist named chaz fagan. carved -- and it was carved by a cathedral stone carver, shawn callahan. parks sits in the cathedral's human rights porch, alongside a carving of mother theresa

here is the problem because he can't prove actual malice because roger goodell is not going go out andie about something. is his career over? he is bound by a collective bargaining agreement. if the appeals the suspension goodell says you are out of here. without a charge, without a jury, nothing. >> i don't think so and here is why. are it could be over in the standpoint he is new hampshire his 30s, he has haded a long career and we have a small window of when we can play. if he has to sit out this year. he was not to take any contact on. eligible to be rein stated. the saints already replaced him on the roster. whether that is a long-term replacement or not, i don't know. here is a guy that is sort of slandered. he has this thing about him right now about this suspension. and if he is eligible next year who is going to take a chance on him. >> judge jeanine: exactly. i wish we could talk about this longer, guys. you are fascinating the three of you. great panel on this. brian, thank you so much for being with us this evening. and joey and fred stay with us. now, wayne newton won't be

. >> you are starting to see roger goodell really come down hard.ese four saints players got suspensions, all of these penalties are because safety is becoming the number one issue. it will be roger goodell's selling point for his legacy as he goes on. they are taking steps to cure the violent impact on athletes. this is deeper than just violence. the damage that's caused by that violence. these are emotional issues like i said before that are masked. the percentages of people in this country who have depression are high. i'm not talking about depression like i feel sad today but a clinical depression that's masked because you're an athlete and you have to have that bravado or you're not successful. >> have you had a lot of concussions? >> i had two or three in my playing career. you really don't know. the science isn't exact. some people may have a greater resistance to concussion effects than others. there's a worry that falls into your head as a former athlete and one that played a violent sport. will i go crazy in ten years? you know a lot about

headaches, speech difficulties and short-term memory loss, the lawsuit is based on nfl commissioner roger goodell'ssion in 2007 that the league had been studying the effect of traumatic brain injuries for 14 years. but according to the suit, the league didn't acknowledge until 2010 that concussions can lead to dementia and memory loss. >>> a health warning this morning -- one serious sunburn can double a person's risk of getting a deadly form of skin cancer. the information comes from a study by the centers for disease criminal and prevention. the authors of the study fear people, especially young people are not taking precautions. reform shows half of u.s. adults under 30 say they've had a sunburn at least once in the previous year. women in their 20s are going to tanning salons almost twice a month on average. >>> 11:42 the time. still ahead on "news4 midday," a huge loss by one of america's largest banks has the stock market worried this morning. and new threads, but an old-school look. the throw-backs you'll see the t[ male announcer ] are youthe paying more and more for cable and enjoying it l

that is the beginning of a letter by commissioner roger good health. -- goodell, that you all have ay of, including the mayor. "the nfl has always been about football and community." if this was true, why would the nfl loan the san francisco forty-niners $200 million to leave a struggling community? i am outraged by the hypocrisy and then the mayor has been introduced here that we are going to try and get as much as we possibly can out of the 49 hours before they leave? i am saying no. san francisco needs to stand up against the 49ers and if the board and the mayor are too scared to, i say that this letter is going to be posted on a big billboard next to what the forty-niners and the nfl have done. there will be no super bowl celebration in santa clara. over my dead body. president chiu: next speaker. >> hello. keeping in the spirit, i would like you to see that. i see african, asian, and american and i also see -- my story is out there for bullying and domestic violence. what i have found i wrote in this book. what a great book. i am asian, chinese, french. i look at how great these

he is resolutely focused, roger goodell, in terms of changing the culture of football, yes. >> when you look at him, finally put his own career in perspective for us. >> he will be remembered fondly by his players. i saw marcellus wily yesterday as well, too, and the emotion he showed is indicative of what a lot of players feel about him. he was a competitor supreme on the football field, highly respected, but just as revered off the field. you heard the folks in san diego talk about how valuable a resource he was to that community. he will be missed in the broadest sense of the word, charlie and erica. >> james brown, thank you very much. >>> time to show you some of this morning's headlines from around the globe. the new york times reports on the first worldwide comparison of premature births. 12% of mothers give birth prematurely in the united states. that is higher than any western nation. and more in line with the developing world. however, american hospitals do much better in caring for premature babies. >>> "usa today" finds parents play favorites when giving financial help to th

a member of congress accused roger goodell of that very thing saying you sound like the tobacco executivesbecause until a couple of years ago their official position was that there was no conclusive, scientific evidence to connect head injuries and concussions with playing in the national football league. so i mean it galled people when they had to sit in front of congress and discuss this. so that's one thing. but at the same time, the other approach they're having is saying look how tough we are right now. and that's, of course, to me, is like the hellaciously stiff punishment that they've leveled on the new orleans saints for bounty-gate. and to me, this is -- i think a tremendous fraud. a tremendous sham that's saying we're cracking down on violence because we're cracking down on the practice of teams paying players for doing particularly dirty hits when the root of the problem here -- i mean, objectively is a fact that the game itself is a violent game. you could love it or you can hate it but the truth is the truth. >> bill: on another subject just before we let you go, i have to ask

strategy for the players and the union are saying anthony hargrove was "following orders" and roger goodellissioner of the nfl had already come out and said he's not buying that because the players embraced the system, and so you could -- i think this may end up backfiring because it shows the existence of the program, which some of anthony hargrove's former players say jonathan vilma and will smith, two other guys who were suspended really say didn't exist and another former player saying the same thing so it's a stark contrast, players versus players really. >> larry, this is will cain. couple weeks ago we had video we played, some audio clips of that locker room incident where gregg williams was saying go after the head, go after the knee of various players on the san francisco 49ers, that was videotaped and we learned later that williams had actually been warned by the nfl several times before that videotape and now we have this story that williams says to hargrove that the nfl has been trying to get him for years. how do you explain this defiance on the part of the new orleans saints c

anywhere between 22 and 27 players had participated in this program, but the commissioner of the nfl roger goodellocus the player punishment on those people he believed were leaders of the team and were involved at a significant -- in a much more significant level in this pay for performance or bounty program, whichever way you want to call it. but that's what the saints here are facing now, four players, two really that are only left on this team, two have moved on to other teams, but two players essentially that will be punished because of this bounty program, and one of them, vilma, who will be out for the entire season. >> ed lavandera in dallas. thanks so much. suspensions, not charges being imposed on at least four players of the new orleans saints. thanks so much, ed. >>> seeing is believing. a blind dog has his own guide. the heartwarming video you have to see. >>> time now for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. joining me this hour, gregg olson is a certified financial planner and partner at lennox adviser. lynette calfoni-cox. first question to you. aaron fro