Former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams had been a major figure of intrigue surrounding the downtrodden organization. Williams missed last week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for personal reasons.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus would not touch on Williams’ status during Wednesday’s Q&A with reporters ahead of this week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Hours later, and it was reported that Williams had resigned as the defensive coordinator of the Bears.
Chicago confirmed this later on Wednesday with a statement on the situation involving its now-former defensive coordinator.
As for Williams, he also released a statement following his resignation.
“I am 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. 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.”
Alan Williams on resignation from the Chicago Bears
In terms of the details that led to Williams resignation, there is not much more coming out of Chicago outside of the fact that rumors relating to police activity at Halas Hall, the headquarters of the organization, were completely false, according to a team spokesperson.
Alan Williams career backstory and more
Williams, 53, has been the Bears’ defensive coordinator since the start of last season. He spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons in the same role with the Minnesota Vikings under then-head coach Leslie Frazier.
The William & Mary product has an extensive career in the NFL. That includes one season as a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive assistant (2001), a decade coaching the Indianapolis Colts secondary (2002-2011) under the great Tony Dungy and spending time as an assistant with the Detroit Lions (2014-2017).
Williams has several relationships with legendary NFL head coaches, including Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two played together at William & Mary and were on Tony Dungy’s coaching staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2001.