Former Redskins coordinator Gregg Williams reportedly ran bounty system in Washington

The Washington Redskins reportedly rewarded players for big hits through a bounty system under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, similar to the one unearthed in an NFL investigation into the New Orleans Saints.

Four players, three of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity, informed The Washington Post of details behind a bounty system under Williams. Three of the players said Williams gave out thousands for hits and paid premium dollars for “kill shots” that knocked a star player on the opposing team out of the game, the newspaper reported.

“You got compensated more for a kill shot than you did other hits,” said a former player, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Phillip Daniels, a former defensive lineman, was the only player who spoke to The Washington Post on the record. Now the team’s director of player development, Daniels spoke on the record and defended Williams’ coaching.

“I think it is wrong the way they’re trying to paint [Williams],” Daniels said. “He never told us to go out there and break a guy’s neck or break a guy’s leg. It was all in the context of good, hard football.”

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Players revealed compensation for hits were between “hundreds and thousands of dollars,” with the highest bounty paid out believed to be $8,000.

Daniels told The Washington Post he believed Williams started the bounty program with money collected from fines for players who were late to meetings or practice. He told the newspaper the most he received was $1,500 for a four-sack game against the Dallas Cowboys in 2005. Daniels said Williams gave out more money for what he deemed as “physical plays.”

However, other players said Williams was a “coach who just took it a little too far.”

“He actually had a saying, ‘If you cut the snake’s head off, the body will die,’ that was his motto,” said the player. “It was made clear that he was talking about not just running backs who turned their heads the opposite way and how they would go down, but also about other stars on offense that were the best players on that team.”

The NFL announced Friday that the Saints had an improper bounty system that paid players up to $1,500 for a “knockout” hit and $1,000 if opponents were carted off the field between the 2009-2011 seasons.

The Redskins declined to speak with The Washington Post through team spokesman Tony Wyllie.