Saints folk hero Gleason: Williams crossed the line
Former New Orleans Saints special teams player Steve Gleason said former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was out of line when he became graphically specific by naming players and specific injuries in a team meeting before the Jan. 10 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Gleason, documented by HBO "Real Sports" for an interview scheduled to air Tuesday, was present in the San Francisco-area hotel along with filmmaker Sean Pamphilon, who released the audio of Williams' speech in which he maliciously called for players to focus on wide receiver Kyle Williams, quarterback Alex Smith, running back Frank Gore and tight end Vernon Davis, among others.
"The real problem," Gleason said. "Was no one seemed shocked. There was no discussion of 'Wow. Did we just hear that?'"
Gleason's first reaction to Pamphilon releasing the audio on his own website was critical because Pamphilon was granted access only as a guest of Gleason. In April, Gleason told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that Pamphilon was violating a rights agreement to the audio of a documentary on Gleason's ongoing battle with Lou Gehrig's disease.
"When (Gregg Williams) specified the other players' injuries, that, to me, was over the line," Gleason said.
Williams reminded players in the speech, recorded on the eve of the Saints' playoff loss to the 49ers at the team's hotel, that Kyle Williams was battling a concussion and encouraged them to focus on hitting Gore in the head.
Gleason recently had a statue of his blocked punt in 2006, the first game in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, unveiled outside the New Orleans landmark. Gleason's play symbolized the recovery of the region that was decimated by the tropical storm.
Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely in March for orchestrating the bounty program with the Saints from 2009-11.
