Alan Williams’ prolonged absence from the Bears and eventual resignation has been one of the most curious stories to come out of Halas Hall in recent memory. The general lack of clarity and brief responses from the team leading up to and directly following the resignation fueled some suggestive rumors and have had social media detectives busy for days. On Friday, head coach Matt Eberflus said people should not read into any perceived clues or red flags that something more is going on with Williams than health and family issues.
“Everybody’s respecting space there and it’s personal,” Eberflus said. “That’s where it is. It’s personal and that’s where it is, respecting him.”
On Wednesday, Williams sent out a statement about his resignation through a team spokesperson. In it, Williams said he was stepping away from football to focus on his health and his family. Williams also said in the statement that he plans to return to coaching once he’s addressed his health.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Before the resignation, Eberflus was incredibly tight-lipped about Williams’ status. When asked if Williams was still the defensive coordinator Eberflus said he had no update. When asked if he had even spoken to Williams, Eberflus again said he had no update. But on Friday, Eberflus at least mentioned that the team reached out to Williams for support.
“We just said if you need anything, we can help you, let us know.”
Even if the team is trying to respect Williams’ privacy, it’s a little strange that everyone in the building seems so reticent about their feelings about his resignation. Usually in cases like this, there is some message of well wishes from the team or players or coaches or all of the above. So far there has been none. Eberflus at least addressed how the resignation impacted him on a human level.
“I mean obviously I was with him four years, five years here. You know I have a lot of friendship. I have feelings for him. But again, he’s resigned and you know it’s for health and family, and we’ll see where it goes from there. I have feelings for Alan Willams, of course.”
NFL
With Williams gone, Eberflus will call defensive plays for the Bears for the foreseeable future.