Gregg Williams, Suspended Indefinitely By NFL, Hopes To Return To Coaching

The story of the day, besides the Tim Tebow non-trade, is that the NFL has come down hard on several coaches and executives of the New Orleans Saints for their role in the three-year bounty program discovered by a league investigation.

Saints head coach Sean Payton was "stunned" after hearing of his one-year suspension. The only person who got it worse than him, former defensive Gregg Williams, who was suspended indefinitely, has issued a statement indicating his desire to work with the NFL in the rest of the investigation and ultimately make a return to the NFL coaching ranks.

"I'd like to again apologize wholeheartedly to the NFL, Coach Fisher, the entire Rams organization and all football fans for my actions. Furthermore, I apologize to the players of the NFL for my involvement as it is not a true reflection of my values as a father or coach, nor is it reflective of the great respect I have for this game and its core principle of sportsmanship. I accept full responsibility for my actions. I highly value the 23 years that I've spent in the NFL. I will continue to cooperate fully with the league and its investigation and I will focus my energies on serving as an advocate for both player safety and sportsmanship. I will do everything possible to re-earn the respect of my colleagues, the NFL and its players in hopes of returning to coaching in the future."

Williams could one day return to coaching. Or he could get banned for life. His status will be reviewed next year. I think Roger Goodell has shown he's willing to issue harsh punishments for those who violate the player safety rules.

For more on the Saints punishment, stay tuned SB Nation's ongoing StoryStream and head over to the Saints blog Canal Street Chronicles.