I dont think it would have been as bad had he not said "Take out his ACL" Or whatever. saying lets knock the hell out of these guys is fine.
The ACL thing isn't really an issue. The NFL isn't going to cease to exist because guys are suing them for torn ACLs. The issue here is concussions.
Yeah to football players this talk is heard from the time they start playing football in middle school the problem is ITS NOT OKAY.
Actually there is room for very serious legal concern if you are a Gregg Wiliams or a member of the Saints who injured another player. The basic premise is that injuries on the football are not anyone's fault because all parties have voluntarily assumed the risk of participating in a risky activity (volenti) But this does not cover all injuries. Most Dolphins fans remember the OJ McDuffie case where OJ McDuffie successfully sued the Dolphins on the basis that their bad instructions caused his turf toe injury to worsen to an extent where it curtailed his playing (and therefore earning capacity). Whilst that is a completely different cause of action the point to remember is that in some circumstances the volenti principal can be overcome. Now if you have a player who can prove that: 1) He was deliberately targeted for injury by Gregg Williams and the Saints playing staff. 2) He was injured as a result of an incident that was outside the rules of the game (eg high hit, late hit etc.) 3) That the Saints involved knew that their activity was outside the rules of the game but did it anyway. 4) He has suffered monetary loss as a result of that injury. There are grounds to argue that Gregg Williams and the players involved could be personally liable if they were to be sued for damages. Considering what we know about the investigation and the parts made public the first three elements could be proven fairly easily. There have been cases in other common law jurisdictions such as England and Australia where professional athletes injured by illegal play have successfully sued their opponents for deliberately injuring them by play that is deliberately outside the rules of the game. There have even been a famous case in Australian Rules Football where a player (Leigh Matthews who is in the AFL Hall of Fame) was so far outside the rules of the game that he was convicted of criminal assault for something he did on the football field. So it isn't just the NFL that is worried about being sued. It has legitimate concerns that if that activity continues it is only a matter of time before players start suing other players and coaches for injuries. I for one would not be surprised if there is not at least one player injured by the Saints who is consulting lawyers about suing Gregg Williams and pals right now.
Thats the other shoe to drop for me - not players being suspended. Someone is going to sue over this, its a matter of time. Williams will be a famous for all the wrong reasons, broke, unemployable football coach in the near future I'd imagine. Even if he files for bankruptcy, his lawyers will want to get paid and those bills alone will be massive.
