On Friday afternoon, the NFL announced that an investigation into the New Orleans Saints organization revealed a bounty system in which players earned cash bonuses for injuring players on opposing teams. While the players primarily funded the bounty pool, the investigation found that current Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams -- who was New Orleans' DC at the time -- administered the program.
Related: Complete coverage of the Gregg Williams situation.
Bonuses included a $1,000 reward for a "cart-off" and $1,500 for a "knockout," and those payouts doubled or tripled during the playoffs. The pool may have reached upwards of $50,000 at its height in 2009. After the news broke, Williams released a statement expressing his regret over his actions:
"I want to express my sincere regret and apology to the NFL, Mr. Benson, and the New Orleans Saints fans for my participation in the ‘pay for performance' program while I was with the Saints. It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it. Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. I take full responsibility for my role. I am truly sorry. I have learned a hard lesson and I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again."
Williams could face fines or a suspension; whether or not this will have any impact on his future with the St. Louis organization remains to be seen.
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