Gregg Williams Audio-Not Good, Should Be Banned for Life

Jan 7, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams watches pregame warmups prior to the game against the Detroit Lions in the 2011 NFC Wild Card Playoff game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-US PRESSWIRE

For anyone who hasn’t heard it yet, there has been some damning video released today on Bountygate, specifically implicating Gregg Williams. You can hear the troubling audio here:

I warn you, if you are uncomfortable with foul language, or the talk about deliberate attempts to injure please don’t listen.

Williams implores guys to go after specific injured players, naming guys by name. The story that broke all the news today can be read here, written by Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports.

It’s troubling stuff.

“At one point Williams says, ‘We hit [expletive] Smith right there’ – then he points under his chin [and continues] – ‘remember me.’ Then he rubs his thumb against his index and middle fingers – the cash sign – and says, ‘I got the first one. I got the first one. Go get it. Go lay that [expletive] out,’” Pamphilon told Silver.

He also talks about going after the heads of Frank Gore, and Kyle Williams. Here’s a quote about Williams:

“We need to find out in the first two series of the game, the little wide receiver, No. 10, about his concussion,” Gregg Williams told his players about Kyle Williams. “We need to [expletive] put a lick on him, move him to decide. He needs to decide.”

This cannot happen, and they need to just go ahead and ban Gregg Williams for life.

I’m not naive about the game, there is nothing wrong about going after players hard. If a defensive coordinator is not telling his guys to hit someone, he is not doing his job.

However, there is a difference between say, running draws toward a linebacker that is coming off a leg injury, and trying to hit a guy in the head that has had concussions. You could possibly kill someone doing that. Unacceptable.

He talked about “kill the head, and the body will die”, when referring to going after Frank Gore. Playing hard to make sure a player is not a factor, that’s one thing. Going after a guy’s head to kill him, is totally another, and implying there is money involved is ridiculous.

People are using the excuse, “it happens all the time”. That doesn’t fly, period. It’s like saying we don’t want to stamp out drug use in our high schools, because everyone is doing it. It’s not acceptable. Neither is this.

Maybe this will be an example to other teams that are doing it to stop. The Saints were the unlucky ones that got caught.

Make an example of Gregg Williams with no reinstatement. Ban him for life. Period.