Former New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said at an appeals hearing in the Saints bounty case that he tried to shut down the team's pay-for-pain system when the NFL began investigating but was overruled by current Saints head coach Joe Vitt, according to transcripts of the session that were obtained by The Associated Press.

The transcripts say Williams testified that Vitt responded to a suggestion that the Saints abandon the pay-for-pain setup with an obscenity-filled speech about how NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ``wasn't going to ... tell us to ... stop doing what won us the Super Bowl. This has been going on in the ... National Football League forever ...''

Williams and Vitt were among a number of witnesses whose testimony was heard by former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. On Tuesday, Tagliabue overturned four player suspensions in the case.

The AP obtained transcripts of Tagliabue's closed-door hearings through a person with a role in the case.