"Kill The Head and The Body Will Die:" Making Violence Safer In The NFL

At one time, clotheslines were part of the NFL's culture. Times change.

Yesterday morning, mere hours before the Saints were scheduled to appeal the penalties Roger Goodell levied against them, the most damning evidence about their bounty system came to light. Sean Pamphilon, a filmmaker who had unfettered access to the Saints as he prepared a documentary on ALS-stricken Steve Gleason, took it upon himself to release a tape of Gregg Williams' pep talk to his defense before their playoff game against the 49ers this January. You can listen to the full audio here, in which Williams implores his team to hit Frank Gore's head, test Kyle Williams' concussion history, and tear Michael Crabtree's ACL. He even makes reference to his pay for pain incentive system while he repeats the mantra "kill the head and the body will die."

What makes this even more incriminating is that Williams gave this speech while the NFL was investigating him for a second time. Earlier that month, the NFL notified Sean Payton that they were reopening their bounty inquiry in light of new evidence. We already knew that Payton and his staff continued operating a bounty system even after they escaped the first NFL investigation in 2010 with just a warning. But now we can literally hear how the Saints kept flaunting the rules even when the league's spotlight was directly on them. It's the equivalent of robbing a bank, getting away scot-free, robbing the bank  again, being named a suspect in the case, and then robbing the bank a third time while the police caution tape is still around the building. For Drew Brees and the New Orleans faithful demanding a reason for Sean Payton's suspension, this is it. 

Bounties aside, many former players are noting that Williams' violent speech is not much different from what you'll hear in other NFL locker rooms. And they're right. You don't have to look far to find other instances of a team using bounties and encouraging harmful hits. In fact, the Super Bowl champion Giants used eerily similar language in their playoff games. Speaking of Kyle Williams, New York linebacker Jacquain Williams said "we knew he had four concussions, so that was our biggest thing, was to take him outta the game.” A week later, Justin Tuck set his sights on Tom Brady, saying "the way to kill the snake is take off his head." 

Getting this glimpse into the locker room makes some of us feel like we're walking into a meat factory; as much as we love the taste of football, we don't necessarily want to see how it's made. While Williams' words seem appalling to some, they're more understandable in the context of an environment that encourages violence.

However, there are also players like Donte Whitner, who are just as disgusted by Williams as many fans are. (Ironically, Whitner delivered the kind of "remember me" shot against the Saints that would have made Williams proud. It would be fitting that Williams lost his last game as a coach because his defense couldn't match the physical tone of his opponent.) 

Clearly, nothing is black and white. Some coaches, like those who taught Whitner, focus on schemes and discipline. Others, like Williams, achieve success through motivation and aggression. It's the latter group who Goodell has put on notice. In the face of lawsuits from injured former players and increased concussion awareness, the Commissioner is tasked with making a violent game safer. If that sounds like an oxymoron, then you're forgetting history.

Football is violence, but it is organized violence. Since the NFL was founded nearly 100 years ago, there's been a time when grabbing a runner's facemask was a sound way to tackle. A time when clotheslining a receiver was a tactical way to defend the middle of the field. A time when headslapping an offensive lineman was an accepted technique to rush the quarterback. Those times all passed, often with protest, and yet the league came out stronger than it'd been before.

Up until recently, targeting injured players was considered sound gameplanning. And using a line like "kill the head and the body will die" was just a clever way to motivate players. But as the Saints and the rest of the NFL just learned, the time for promoting injuries, as commonplace as it is now, will soon be history. And the game will be better for it.

Follow my other NFL thoughts on Twitter: @BostonGiant
 

Image found here.