Speculation is running wild about why Alan Williams resigned Wednesday as Chicago Bears defensive coordinator.
Officially, Williams said he was stepping back to “take care of my health and family.”
Unofficially, the rumor mill is working overtime.
The one with the most traction was the FBI raided Williams’ home and Halas Hall, the Bears practice facility.
“The rumors on social media are offensive and one hundred percent untrue,” said Andrew M. Stroth, Williams’ personal attorney, per NBC. “Coach Williams resigned (Wednesday) because of personal health challenges and personal family issues. There was no raid on Halas Hall, and no raid on his home.”
A Bears spokesperson confirmed to NBC there was no raid conducted by the FBI.
In addition, a Lake Forest (Ill.) police source was not aware of any activity involving local law enforcement at Halas Hall on Wednesday.
But it sounds like this story is far from over.
Bears podcaster Bill Zimmerman tweeted Wednesday: “The story I’m hearing around Alan Williams, if true, is shocking. I would not expect him to ever return to the Chicago Bears. It has nothing to do with his coaching performance.”
That echoes what Chicago Tribune Bears reporter Brad Biggs tweeted Wednesday.
“Lot of speculation about the status of #Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams,” Biggs wrote. “I can tell you for the last 3 days we’ve been operating under the belief that his absence has not been related to health or a family matter.”
The rumors of the FBI raid seemingly started with a tweet from a football aggregation account, which has nearly 100,000 followers on X.
Williams stepped away from the team last week, citing personal issues, with head coach Matt Eberflus taking over defensive play-calling duties for the 27-17 loss to the Buccaneers.
Eberflus is expected to call the defensive plays again in Week 3 when the Bears visit the Kansas City Chiefs.