Gregg Williams--Bounty Hunter

Written by:  Anthony Bafaro

"I hunt down human beings"
-Dog the Bounty Hunter

According to an NFL Security investigation that dates back to 2010, Gregg Williams led a bounty system during his time as Saints defensive coordinator--2009-2011.  Various unnamed players funded the pool of up to $50,000, which paid out 22 of 27 defensive players $1,500 for “knockouts,” and $1,000 for “cart-offs.”  The system also provided a pay-out for interceptions and forced fumbles (though, that must have been a much smaller pool).  Gregg Williams has been tagged as the ring-leader, but the report from the NFL cites that Head Coach Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis were aware of the practice as well.  Penalties are pending, and may include fines, suspensions, and the loss of draft picks.  Williams released a statement, in which he apologized for his actions.  “I’m truly sorry,” he said, “I have learned a hard lesson.  I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again.”

Alright Gregg, we forgive you.  I’m sure a few of the players started tossing around wagers, and you just couldn’t help yourself, you got caught up.  Unfortunately for the Rams, the story doesn’t stop there.  Later in the day, Mark Maske of the Washington Post wrote an article describing a similar system with the Redskins during the defensive reign of Williams.  “Three of the [Redskins] players described a coach who doled out thousands of dollars to Redskins defenders who measured up to Williams’ scoring system for rugged play, including “kill shots” that knocked opposing teams’ stars out of a game.”  So as it turns out, Gregg wasn’t apologizing for a short series of transgressions.  This practice is a pillar of his coaching method.  He was apologizing, in effect, for getting caught.

Wait, wait, there’s more!  Just when the Rams thought the second-hand PR smear had ended, Tony Dungy told Pro Football Talk, “I know they had [bounties] in Tennessee,” an accusation that also drags Jeff Fisher into the mess. 

I’m not angry at these knuckleheads for their lack of moral or professional integrity; I’m angry at them for being idiots.  There’s enough competitiveness and degenerate-gambler-DNA amongst the players in any professional sports locker room to facilitate this wide-spread practice without the help of the coaching staff.  Turn a blind-eye, play dumb, but don’t make it part of the weekly game-plan.

What’s interesting is that if this investigation has been ongoing since 2010, surely the Rams would have known about some of things inside this 5,000 page report when they decided to reunite the Bash-Brothers in St. Louis.  Hopefully that means they’re confident Williams won’t miss much time via suspension.

The bad news for the Rams out of all of this, other than a bit of shame by association, is that Gregg Williams may be suspended.  Any number of games missed will hurt as he attempts to implement the new defense.  The good news, well, this certainly sends a message to the division, and perhaps Peyton Manning will think twice about fulfilling the rumors that have him signing somewhere in the NFC West.  What do you think the going rate is for dislodging a fused vertebrate?