Saints' Benson meets with Goodell

Saints owner Tom Benson and commissioner Roger Goodell met Tuesday to discuss a forgettable offseason for New Orleans, a planned meeting the league will not confirm.

Benson was among the parties penalized by Goodell for the Saints' bounty program, which the NFL alleged involved 22 to 27 players being rewarded for punishing hits with a bounty pool orchestrated by then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Goodell faces a pending ruling in a lawsuit for defamation of character filed by linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Vilma was suspended for the 2012 season and is alleged to have pledged $10,000 for direct hits to opposing quarterbacks Brett Favre and Kurt Warner.

A Louisiana judge indicated last week that she was leaning toward siding with Vilma but wasn't certain she had the jurisdiction to make such a ruling, which would reduce or eliminate Vilma's suspension and could impact other suspended parties.