At the heart of the issue was then Saints defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams. Williams was accused setting up programs that rewarded players for targeting and hurting other players in the league. After Williams suspension was over, he was hired by the Tennessee Titans.
Williams now is facing potentially more issues stemming from the scandal. Former NFL player, Barrett Green is now suing Williams and the Redskins for ending his career prematurely. While Williams was serving as the defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins in 2004, Barrett Green suffered a career-ending knee injury while playing for the Giants against the Redskins.
The curious part of the story is that Barrett Green was playing linebacker and was hurt by Redskins tight end Robert Royal. The lawsuit claimed that Royal had played some defense for Gregg Williams while with the Redskins. The lawsuit says that Royal "intentionally lowered his helmet and drove into Green's knee at full speed." Later in the complaint, the Redskins were accused of a bounty program when the complaint said, "Redskins coaches directed their players to disregard criminal and civil laws, as well as NFL rules, to intentionally injure opponents."
Final Thought
It will be very difficult for Barrett Green to have success with his lawsuit because of the lack of evidence. Although Gregg Williams was "convicted" by commissioner Roger Goodell, legal action outside of the league was not taken. For Green to be successful with his lawsuit, he would need to prove many aspects of the injury that are most likely unprovable. Although this lawsuit will most likely prove to be a failure, it is interesting to see how many more lawsuits come from the bounty scandal. If an injured player can prove they got hurt by Williams defense in New Orleans, it is a possibility that Gregg Williams could face some serious legal actions.
@dmrosen7
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