ST. LOUIS -- When Gregg Williams was hired as the Rams' defensive coordinator in January, he was answering the call from not just a longtime associate but one of his best friends.
Coach Jeff Fisher said he didn't have any idea Williams had been running a bounty pool in New Orleans.
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Fisher delivered the news to Williams on Wednesday that the franchise would be cutting ties for at least the 2012 season, under the assistant's indefinite suspension from the NFL for the bounty payments that he handed out with the Saints.
Fisher betrayed no emotion at a news conference at which he said the punishment was "warranted."
"The severity of the suspension does not surprise us," Fisher said. "We, as best you can, have been preparing for that."
Fisher said Williams will be eligible for reinstatement after the 2012 season, but he didn't guarantee he'd want his friend back saying, "You know, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Fisher did, however, lavish praise on a man who consistently has produced top-10 defenses in the NFL.
"I don't mean to be insensitive to this, but we have to move on," Fisher said. "Our job's to win games, and Gregg's got to learn from his mistakes, and he's paying dearly for them.
"He's going to do his best to do whatever it takes to get reinstated."
In a statement issued by the Rams, Williams apologized to the NFL, to Fisher, the Rams' organization and football fans in general for operating the bounty pool. The Rams said Williams wouldn't make any further public comment.
Fisher said he'd be part of a committee of coaches replacing Williams and likely wouldn't hire another assistant. Fisher is a former defensive coordinator, pointing out that he's the originator of the Rams' playbook and has two other people with experience at that position on his staff, assistant head coach Dave McGinnis and defensive backs coach Chuck Cecil.
"So I have a pretty good feel for the defense," Fisher said. "At this point, I'm not at liberty to say who's going to make the calls and the decisions, but it'll get done and it'll get done effectively."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
