Gregg Williams was essentially caught red-handed encouraging his players to injure opponents when he was the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints, but one former linebacker who played under the coach insists the entire scandal was blown out of proportion.
Jonathan Vilma, who made two Pro Bowls in his six seasons with the Saints, said on ESPN’s “Get Up” Friday morning that there is “no truth” to the allegations that Williams puts hits out on offensive players.
OBJ claims Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams teaches "cheap shots."@JonVilma51 says "there is no truth to it." pic.twitter.com/i14EJP1ryz
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 13, 2019
“There is no truth to it,” Vilma said. “I was with Gregg Williams for three years. He was one of the best defensive coordinators I had. He teaches physicality. He teaches aggression.”
Odell Beckham Jr. brought the Bountygate scandal back into the news on Thursday when he claimed some of his current teammates with the Cleveland Browns told him Williams instructed them to injure Beckham during a 2017 preseason game in which he suffered an ankle injury. Vilma pointed out that the hit on Beckham was legal and said defenders have no choice but to go low to counter the speed and power of some offensive players.
While we don’t know about the legitimacy of Beckham’s claims, there are some disturbing audio clips from Williams’ time with the Saints that appear to prove he did a lot more than just encourage physicality. Vilma was obviously trying to downplay some of that.
