| Since the Gregg Williams audio has been released, there has been a wide range of player opinions on the matter. (AP) |
If you heard the audio of a Gregg Williams’ pregame pep talk that emerged on Thursday, it’s perfectly acceptable to be nauseated by Williams’ words, his tone and his intent to specifically target and try to injure the 49ers, New Orleans’ opponent, that week.
When you hear the former Saints defensive coordinator say that he wants somebody to turn Frank Gore’s head “sideways,” somebody to test Kyle Williams’ concussion status and somebody to try to injure Michael Crabtree’s ACL, it’s OK for you to feel disgusted.
Though I’m not sure I completely buy Joe Vitt’s argument that Williams is a rogue coach, it has been interesting to hear what some former and current players are saying about Williams and his speech.
Some are outraged, like the NFL Network’s Warren Sapp (who, you’ll recall, outed Jeremy Shockey as the original Bounty-gate snitch).
"This is the most heinous, egregious thing in the history of this game," Sapp told the Bay Area News Group. “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 you in fourth-and-more than you can handle."
"I have never heard anything like that in the NFL," Miami linebacker Karlos Dansby told the Arizona Republic. "The game is already physical enough, violent enough. Why would you put emphasis on hurting people, man? That ain't right."
Some, though, aren’t shocked by Williams’ choice of words. In fact, Chad Ochocinco was so passionate in his theory that he insulted and cursed at some of his Twitter followers, a departure from the usually-genial online presence of the Patriots receiver.
“Football instincts won't allow u to purposely hurt anyone regardless of the audio,” Ochocinco wrote on his Twitter account. “Everyone talking about this damn bounty at the NFL level, come watch Gwen Cherry-OverTown-Liberty City Pop Warner football in Miami. S--- is a joke, the Greg Williams audio, child please, come down to the inner city and listen to how football is coached and played as kids. Remember the documentary "Year of The Bull" about Miami Northwestern? Puts the Greg Williams audio to shame. Intent is 2 motivate not hurt.”
Some called the speech typical and not surprising.
“The tenor of the speech is not uncommon on a Saturday night before a game,” former Giants linebacker Carl Banks told the NY Daily News. “Some of the stuff was over the line, but 90-95 percent was what you would hear within most (defensive) rooms.”
Or you could go the route of Packers guard Josh Sitton, who tweeted the following Thursday: “Gregg Williams sounds like a complete douche a------. Glad he got suspended!”
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