NFL PLayers Do Disservice To Themselves
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By DERON SNYDER
The case against Gregg Williams, the New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2011, continues to grow. After admitting and apologizing on Friday for a bounty pool that rewarded his players for “knockouts” and “cart-offs,” Williams was expected to meet with NFL officials on Monday.
Their discussion will cover much more than his three seasons with the Saints. Prior to arriving in New Orleans, he was the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars and head coach for the Buffalo Bills. Since news of the Saints‘ bounty program broke last week, players on Williams’ former teams said that he instituted similar systems there, too.
The case shines a harsh light on a thin line: the difference between hitting as hard (and cleanly) as possible and hitting with malicious intent in hopes of causing an injury. Players who engaged in the latter have done a tremendous disservice to themselves and their fellow players, countering a recent push to make the game safer.
“I know players hate [the new rules],” Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday, a member of the players union’s executive committee, said during Super Bowl week. “We get fined and we get suspended and all kinds of things. But if this saves a guy from his wife having to take care of him when he’s 50 years old, I’m all for it.”
