Jets' Adam Gase on Gregg Williams' BountyGate Past: 'He Did His Time'
Jets head coach Adam Gase said new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has done "his time" in relation to his BountyGate past.
Williams was suspended from the NFL in March 2012 due to his involvement in the scandal and he was reinstated in February 2013. The Saints ran an illegal bounty fund that was used to pay bonuses or bounties for injuring opposing players. Head coach Sean Payton was suspended along with assistant coach Joe Vitt. The Saints were hit with a fine and had to forfeit draft selections.
"Gregg was penalized for that heavily," Gase said via Pro Football Talk. "Football was taken away from him. He did his time. That’s what makes this country great, right? People get second chances all the time. He’s gotten a second chance. He’s done it right. He’s gone and worked extremely hard to do things right."
"For me or anyone else to hold that over his head, to me, is wrong. It’s like when we give players second opportunities. It’s the same thing. People make mistakes. We’ve moved on from it. That’s not something I’m even concerned about."
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Gase added he "always wanted to work" with Williams.
The 60-year-old Williams comes to New York after two years in Cleveland. While Williams started as defensive coordinator, he served as interim head coach for the final eight games of the 2018 season after Hue Jackson was fired.
He's also served as defensive coordinator for the Rams, Saints, Jaguars, Redskins and Titans. He worked as the Bills head coach from 2001–2003.
Gase was hired by the Jets last week.
