Originally Posted by
WGRZ
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Former Bills head coach Gregg Williams has been reportedly been summoned to New York City to meet with NFL security officials regarding bounty pools he allegedly ran while coaching in the league.
Williams is under fire for helping run a bounty pool when he was the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints.
Former Bills safety and linebacker Coy Wire played under Williams in Buffalo, and told 2-On-Your-Side's Adam Benigni that a similar type of system was in place under Williams with the Bills.
"It more of a team and player driven system where monies were put into a pot and then they were given out as rewards later on when good plays would happen. This was something that was just amongst players and coaches."
Question: The issue of knockout shots... And rewards for knocking guys out of the game... Did that exist in Buffalo?
Wire: "No that was something that was with New Orleans or one of the other teams."
Early Sunday, Wire appeared on CNN.
"I actually had the privilege of playing for Gregg Williams. Did he get carried away? Yes. He admits that now. And all of the players that bought into that mentality of maliciousness we're at fault to some degree too."
CNN: In all your days with the Bills... In all your days with the Falcons... Did you every hear a coach say I'm going to give you money if you knock a player out of the game?
Wire: "That was the unique experience that I had with that. And I realize when I had other coaches that that wasn't the norm in the NFL. You know I think that fault was admitted... And I respect Gregg Williams even more for standing up and admitting his faults, and taking ownership of the mistakes that were made."
However former Bills Pro-Bowl offensive lineman Ruben Brown, who played under Williams, told 2 on Your Side's Ben Hayes, that there was not a bounty system in Buffalo.
"No, I never heard anything like that, don't know what he did when he was in Washington and New Orleans, but not in Buffalo," said Brown.
Reports say Williams also ran a bounty program when he was an assistant coach with the Redskins.
The Saints are accused of maintaining a bounty pool that would pay players for inflicting game-ending injuries on opposing players. Pay-offs were worth $1000-$1500 and even more during playoff games.
Brown, who played on offense with the Bills, said he never heard of a similar system during his time with Williams. "I never heard any talk of bounty hunting, killing people, maiming people, ending people's careers, I never heard anything like that."
Williams issued an apology for his role in the bounty program with New Orleans, in part it read, "It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it."
Brown did say the the team wanted to play with a physical style under Williams, "Football is an aggressive sport, when you hit you should have some bad intentions." But Brown says the motivation was not because of a bounty system. "I wanted to win in a competitive nature."
Bills CEO Russ Brandon issued a statement saying the organization had no knowledge of a bounty system being under Williams and they wouldn't have tolerated had they known.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to determine potential penalties against the Saints, Williams and the players involved later this month.
03-05-2012, 07:02 AM
