New York, NY

Former New Orleans Saints defensive end Anthony Hargrove has maintained his innocence, claiming evidence linking him to the bounty program "isn't very strong at all".

"I don't think any of the evidence they have against myself or any other players is strong," Hargrove said in interview with ESPN's "Outside The Lines" Friday. "And so I've taken a stand in the beginning and I continue to have the same stand, as innocent."

A panel has overturned Hargrove's suspension, along with Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith and Scott Fujita and ordered them reinstated immediately.

While the three players have teams to play for, Hargrove is out of a job after he was released by the Green Bay Packers during the preseason.

In the interview, Hargrove dubbed as unfair the NFL's decision to suspend him for eight games because he "actively obstructed the league's 2010 investigation into the program by being untruthful to investigators."

"I told the truth," Hargrove said. "I said the same thing then that I'm saying now, and that some players have said under oath."

Hargrove was accused of saying "Hey Bobby, give me the money" to teammate Bobby McCray after a hit on then-Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre in a videotape used by the NFL as part of the case against him.

"I can't comment on that right now. But I think the person whose voice it was knows who it was," Hargrove said when asked who was the voice in the videotape.

Hargrove, Vilma, Smith and Fujita are scheduled to meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell next week to discuss their reinstatement, among other things.

Goodell, on his own, can suspend the four once again if he proves that there was intent to injure.

"Clarification. Truth. I want to know why I'm being suspended. I would like to know the reasons for what they said and why they said it, and hopefully they'll overturn this thing," Hargrove said.

 

Copyright © 2012 AHN - All Rights Reserved