Gregg Williams, the longtime defensive coordinator who was once suspended for his role in the Saints’ Bountygate scandal, is back in football — but not in the NFL.
The XFL on Wednesday announced its first group of assistant coaching hires, and Williams was the most prominent name on the list. The 63-year-old served as a defensive assistant for eight different organizations from 1990 to 2020.
He will serve as defensive coordinator under head coach Reggie Barlow in the XFL for a team to be announced. The XFL is scheduled to debut in February 2023.
Williams was also a head coach for the Bills in the early 2000s and the Browns’ interim head coach in 2018. After his stint in Buffalo, Williams spent four seasons as defensive coordinator for Washington under Joe Gibbs. He was also a defensive coordinator for Tennessee, Jacksonville, New Orleans, the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams and the New York Jets.
Williams, nicknamed “Dr. Heat” for his blitz-heavy scheme, hasn’t coached in football since he was fired by the Jets in December 2020 after his controversial play call in a game against the Raiders. In a Hail Mary situation, Williams called a zero blitz against Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who found an open Henry Ruggs for the game-winning score against the winless Jets.
what a terrible coach…
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 7, 2020
why is Adam Gase talking in the headset to a different coach & not paying attention while Gregg Williams makes the most important defensive call of the game with :13 left?
he could have called a timeout if he wasn’t preoccupied chatting it up pic.twitter.com/cY7uwD8JRY
Williams is best known for his role in the Saints’ Bountygate scandal. Saints head coach Sean Payton and Williams were both suspended for the 2012 season by the NFL, which found the Saints offered monetary incentives for injuring opposing teams’ players from 2009 to 2011 — Williams’ three seasons as defensive coordinator.
Other well-known assistants include former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski and former Falcons head coach June Jones. The XFL, led by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, announced its head coaches earlier this year, including Wade Phillips, Jim Haslett, Bob Stoops, Hines Ward and Rod Woodson.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.