Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

As Sean Payton’s suspension takes effect next Monday, it is now a virtual certainty that Bill Parcells will not become the interim coach for the New Orleans Saints in 2012, according to team sources.

While there has been minimal communication between the Saints and Parcells in the past week, a source said that Parcells indicated to Payton in a recent conversation that he preferred to remain retired. Parcells, a Hall of Fame finalist who turns 71 in August, has not coached since 2006 when he finished a four-year stint with the Dallas Cowboys.

There are growing indications that the Saints will turn to Joe Vitt, the assistant head coach/linebackers, as the interim coach when the Saints begin their offseason program on Monday, the day that Payton begins serving his one-year suspension.

Vitt will serve a six-game suspension but will be available to oversee the team’s offseason program. If he is asked to become the interim head coach, other assistants will manage the team when the season opens until Vitt returns after the sixth game. The Saints still could ask other candidates on staff to fill the position but Vitt is the strongest candidate.

Payton had gauged Parcells’ interest in serving as the interim coach shortly after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Payton would be suspended for the 2012 season because of his role during the team’s administration of a performance/bounty pool. Goodell on Monday denied appeals by Payton, Vitt and general manager Mickey Loomis, who will have to serve an eight-game suspension.

Payton’s suspension will last through Super Bowl XLVII, which is being held in New Orleans.

The NFL’s statement Monday said that commissioner Roger Goodell will review the status of all three individuals after each suspension ends and sources told ESPN that Payton, Loomis and Vitt will have to adhere to league restrictions during their suspensions or put at risk their timely reinstatement, possible reductions of financial penalties, and possible modification of a forfeited 2013 second-round draft pick.

A league official told ESPN on Monday that Payton is “not allowed to engage in any coaching activities. Roger (Goodell) commented on that at the league meeting press conference, saying he’s not naïve enough to think there won’t be some contact but (Payton’s) not allowed to coach from home … If a player has a baby, can he call to congratulate him? I don’t think we’re going to worry about that, or have a wiretap on his phone.”

The Saints were previously fined $500,000 and docked second-round picks this year and next for a three-year pay-for-pain system that rewarded injury-causing hits by Saints defenders. While the Saints cannot salvage their 2012 second-rounder, the league’s announcement suggested there could be a modification of the 2013 pick penalty and reduction in the individuals’ lost pay, although the fine will not be reduced.

WRITTEN BY Chris Mortensen | ESPN & FULL STORY HERE