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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Investigators will talk to Williams

Ex-Saints assistant had bounty program

Barry Wilner Associated Press

NEW YORK – NFL investigators will meet today with the former New Orleans Saints assistant coach who admitted and apologized for running a bounty program that rewarded players with thousand-dollar payoffs for knocking targeted opponents out of games.

The meeting with Gregg Williams will be in the New York area, according to two people familiar with the NFL’s investigation of the bounties. They spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because details of the continuing investigation are not being disclosed.

ESPN first reported the scheduled meeting between the league and Williams.

The Saints maintained a bounty pool of up to $50,000 the last three seasons, the NFL said. Payoffs were made for inflicting game-ending injuries on targeted players, including quarterbacks Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. “Knockouts” were worth $1,500 and “cart-offs” $1,000, with payments doubled or tripled for the playoffs.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday the investigation was far from over and that the league will continue “addressing the issues raised as part of our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of the game.”

That likely means the investigation will zero in on teams that employed Williams in the past.

Before joining the Saints, Williams was the defensive coordinator in Tennessee, Washington and Jacksonville, and the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. In January, he was hired by new St. Louis Rams coach, Jeff Fisher, to lead the defense.

“It was a terrible mistake,” Williams said in a statement Friday night shortly after the NFL released the report. “And we knew it was wrong while we were doing it.”

Several players around the league have said the Saints and Williams weren’t the only ones with such a system. Former Redskins safety Matt Bowen said Williams had a similar bounty scheme when he was in Washington.

Aiello said the NFL would look at “any relevant info regarding rules being broken.”

No punishments have been handed out, but they could include suspension, fines and loss of draft picks.

All payouts for specific performances in a game, including interceptions or causing fumbles, are against NFL rules. The NFL also warns teams against such practices before each season.

The league said 22 to 27 defensive players were involved in the program, according to multiple witnesses. The pool amounts peaked in 2009, the season the Saints won the Super Bowl.