Williams Should Be Banished

By Henry Gula

By now, most fans of the NFL are aware of the bounty program put in place by the New Orleans Saints. Defenders were offered monetary rewards for injuring opponents.  

It is believed that while Head Coach Sean Payton and others in the organization knew about it, Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams was the mastermind behind the system.

A recorded speech before a playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers revealed Williams imploring his defense to injure specific players on the 49ers.  

"You obviously have your speeches around the league, especially from defensive coaches...in which they want you to get going," said Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers. "...But I think that when you start to jeopardize people's futures... you're taking it to a whole other level." 

Retired defensive end Warren Sapp, known for his aggressive style of play, was disgusted by what he heard.  

"This is the most heinous, egregious thing in the history of this game," Sapp said.

Williams has been banned from the league indefinitely, but is looking into reinstatement. I believe that Williams should be banned from the NFL for life.  

Football is a violent game, no doubt. Hard hits and big collisions get fans on their feet and sell tickets. However, like anything, there is a line. While some players are known as "dirty" and intentionally try to hurt their opponents, a coach encouraging this level of violence is disturbing.

Offering money for injuring another player, especially encouraging players to target opponents' heads, is not only dangerous, it is unacceptable. If the Saints' bounty program is not an isolated incident, the NFL has a serious problem.  

The NFL Players Association and former players are already very active in concussion awareness in light of many veterans experiencing serious health problems after seasons of contact. If players are being paid to target the head, post-concussion complications will skyrocket.  

Players not associated with the Saints have largely confirmed that they are not trying to hurt other players, but rather trying to "make a statement" or a "big play" with hard hits.  

Banning Williams from the NFL will make a statement that this will not be tolerated, and it will help set players' safety as a priority. The players are human, after all.

Sapp said it best: "Not for one second would I sit in a room and listen to someone say, 'We're going to take out someone's ACL' without standing up and saying, 'What the hell are you talking about?' The way you play defense isn't about malice. It's about putting (them) in fourth-and-more-than-you-can-handle."

Henry Gula is a contributing writer for the Sports section.