Was Alfred Williams involved in a bounty program?
(Via Pro Football Talk)
During a segment of ESPN’s NFL Live, prior to Super Bowl XXXI back in 1996, host Andrea Kramer talked with players from all over the league about a common practice in the league then referred to as “Smash for Cash”. This according to a court filing made today by the NFLPA on behalf of New Orleans Saints players still fighting their suspensions resulting from “Bountygate”.
The players Kramer interviewed described player-to-player incentive pools for big plays – and for big hits – incentives identical to those that lead to the Saints’ scandal. Pro Football Talk published a transcript of the ESPN segment today.
The existence of the segment would seem to indicate that, as recently as the mid-1990’s, “bounty” programs were common – and existed with the blessings of the NFL.
Among the players quoted in the segment were Reggie White, Lawrence Taylor, Chris Dishman and our own Alfred Williams, currently a drive time afternoon radio host at 104.3 the Fan.
Williams is quoted as saying: “These are just individual things that guys just challenge each other with. It happens all the time in every place that I’ve played in.”.
This is interestingly largely because I have heard Williams on the radio discussing the Saints Bounty scandal but never heard him mention and “pay for performance” type incentives that he might have been a part of.
You can read the entire transcript HERE.
