Football is an undeniably physical and hard-hitting competition. Injuries are unavoidable in a contact game where 300-pound men crash into each other. As a result, football has evolved across generations, in part to protect itself and to ensure the safety of athletes. And as much as stations such as CBS, Fox, and ESPN show crunching hits and blows in highlight-reel packages, the NFL doesn't want players or coaches actively targeting opponents with intent to injure. In fact, if the league catches you plotting to take someone down, that's a good way to wind up suspended.
For example, according to ESPN, the NFL accused then-New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams of running a "bounty system" that involved paying defensive players who inflicted injuries upon opposing offensive stars such as Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. As explained by CNN, Williams was caught on tape naming San Francisco 49ers players worth targeting ahead of a playoff game between the Niners and Saints in January 2012.
Following a league investigation into the matter, the NFL suspended Williams for the entire 2012 campaign, including the playoffs. He was reinstated in February 2013, however, and he became a journeyman assistant. He even enjoyed a brief stint as interim head coach of the Cleveland Browns during the 2018 season. Under Williams, the Browns won five of eight contests, and he ended the decade as a coordinator with the New York Jets.
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