Strange rumors continue to swirl around the resignation of former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams.
Williams, 53, announced his resignation on Wednesday (September 20), claiming he intended to focus on his family, while also denying what his attorney called "false rumors" made on social media about a possible raid that took place at Halas Hall, the Bears' facility and his home.
On Thursday (September 21), former Indianapolis Colts punter turned ESPN host Pat McAfee claimed that "sources told us that an FBI raid did occur on Alan Williams' house." McAfee, who acknowledged that he would be careful with the information after previously being sued -- specifically by Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre in relation to commentary about his Mississippi welfare scandal -- noted Williams had served as the Colts' defensive backs coach during his first three seasons with the team.
"I would like to say as somebody that played on a team where Alan Williams was a coach, I could never have expected what some of these outcomes could be from him but I don't think anybody ever expects that from somebody that is successful and potentially gets caught up in a situation with houses getting FBI raided," McAfee said during Thursday's (September 21) live broadcast of the Pat McAfee Show.
The former All-Pro punter speculated that the raid could have been over drugs, based on Williams' resignation statement that he planned to focus on his health, but emphasized that he didn't have an exact answer. Authorities have not yet publicly confirmed whether a raid took place in relation to Williams.
The veteran coach had been away from the team since last week due what the Bears referred to as a personal reason. Head coach Matt Eberflus took over defensive playcalling duties during Sunday's loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had previously said he'd continue to do so for Chicago's Week 3 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs should Williams continue to be away from the team prior to his decision.
"Given the false rumors and what seems to be out there on social media, I just want to set the record straight that Coach Williams has some health challenges and some family issues he’s dealing with and he thought it was the right time to take a step back and deal with those issues. He has tremendous respect for the Bears organization and he just though it was the time to handle this health issue and his personal matters," Stroth said, according to Cronin.
Williams joined Eberflus' coaching staff shortly after the latter was hired as the Bears' head coach in February 2022. The two had previously coached together during their shared tenure with the Indianapolis Colts, with Eberflus serving as defensive coordinator and Williams working as a safeties coach.
The 53-year-old began his NFL coaching career as a defensive assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001 before initially joining the Colts as a defensive backs coach in 2002, spending the next 10 seasons with the franchise. Williams spent two seasons working as the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and four seasons as the defensive backs coach for the Detroit Lions before returning to the Colts for his second stint as defensive backs coach in 2018.
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