Former LB Barrett Green Suing Washington Redskins & Gregg Williams
By Stu White
Former NFL linebacker Barrett Green is suing the Washington Redskins, claiming that the team’s illegal bounty program led to a knee injury that cut-short his career.
Specifically target in Green’s lawsuit is former Washington assistant coach Gregg Williams. Williams, as you may recall, was the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints in 2009 and served a one-year suspension after being implicated in the Saints’ bounty scandal. Robert Royal, the tight end for the Redskins who delivered the hit to Green, is also mentioned by name in the lawsuit.
Green’s lawsuit claims that he lost over $10 million from the hit since he was in the first year of a five-year contract worth more than $13 million at the time of the incident. After the injury, a torn ACL, Green was only able to play one more game in 2004 and one game in 2005. In 2006 he was cut before the start of the season.
In 2012, Redskins coaches and players admitted that Williams offered cash rewards for big hits while he was working on the Washington staff from 2004-2007. However, some people argued that the monetary incentives weren’t technically a “bounty” program because they didn’t target specific players.
Anyway, it appears this may be another ugly situation for the NFL. We will keep you posted as things develop.
[Source: AP]