The NFL on Friday released a statement saying the New Orleans Saints had a "bounty" program while Williams was the team's defensive coordinator. The program rewarded players for inflicting game-ending injuries on opposing players.
Now the saga may stretch back to 2004, when Williams was the defensive coordinator with the Washington Redskins. Philip Daniels, a former Washington defensive lineman, went on the record to say Williams had a bounty program set up with the Redskins, the Washington Post reports.
It gets worse. Tony Dungy, the former coach of the Indianapolis Colts and current analyst for NBC, claims Peyton Manning's neck injury and subsequent series of surgeries may have resulted from a Williams-encouraged hit.
Dungy cites a high-low hit, in which defenders hit a player above and below the waist from opposite sides, inflicted on Manning in a 2006 game against the Redskins. After the hit, Manning was shaken up and appeared to be concerned about his arm strength.
Manning missed all of the 2011 season and may be released by the Colts because the recovery from his most recent neck surgery has progressed slowly. If the injury can be traced back to a Williams bounty, the current Rams' defensive coordinator could find himself in deeper trouble.
