Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigns after taking leave of absence
The Bears denied rumors that police or other officials raided Halas Hall on Wednesday in connection to Alan Williams
Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned from his post Wednesday, the team announced.
Williams had been away from the team on a personal matter and said in a short statement that he would be “taking a step back to take care of my health and family.”
"I appreciate the opportunity to work with the Chicago Bears, a storied NFL franchise with a rich history," he said in a statement, via ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "The McCaskey family is first-class and second to none. I would also like to thank coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles for giving me the opportunity to come to Chicago. I would also like to thank president Kevin Warren, the coaches and player of which I value the relationships and camaraderie.
"I value the NFL shield and all that it stands for and after taking some time to address my health, I plan to come back and coach again."
The Bears denied rumors that federal officials had raided the team's facility at Halas Hall in connection to Alan Williams. The league is not involved, per the NFL Networks' Ian Rapoport, nor is former Bears defensive back-turned-FBI agent Charles Tillman.
Williams’ attorney also denied the rumors and said Williams is dealing with both health challenges and family issues.
"Given the false rumors and what seems to be out there on social media, I just want to set the record straight that coach Williams has some health challenges and some family issues he’s dealing with and he thought it was the right time to take a step back and deal with those issues,” his attorney, Andrew Stroth, told ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “He has tremendous respect for the Bears organization and he just thought it was the time to handle this health issue and his personal matters."
Williams, 53, was in his second season with the Bears as the team’s defensive coordinator. He had been a defensive assistant coach in the league for more than two decades, working with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions.
Williams missed the team’s 27-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week due to what head coach Matt Eberflus said was a personal matter. Eberflus filled in as the team’s defensive coordinator for that game.
The Bears will take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Eberflus said earlier Wednesday that he planned to continue to call the defense in Williams' absence.
