It's 8 PM Pacific, 10 PM in Chicago as I begin to type this commentary post.
I am trying, and sometimes failing, to stay as reserved as I can about the resignation of Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams and the firestorm surrounding it.
I must say, before I go any further: The only thing we have confirmed is his resignation. All the other stuff is unconfirmed, claimed debunked by the central Chicago sports media and the Bears, etc.
That, however, said...
Even if an FBI raid were just Williams, that's bad enough. The Bears locker room has been a real case after the first game of the season (the only one Williams coached, and it is now apparent the raid, if it occurred, on his place was the day after the Week One loss to the Packers), and this would probably put at least this season to bed too.
And, to the child porn question: Especially given the gambling suspensions from the summer, if this were an FBI gambling situation, it would either be a gambling ring Williams was part of or he was in deep in gambling on the NFL -- but, if that were the case, given the investigations, would the NFL not already have suspended him for that?
(And, just as I type this, another attempt to fish is claiming that the raid was a money-laundering raid. Claims Rappoport and Schefter reporting it, but there's no confirmation from either of their X accounts or the NFL.com site as of 8:15 PM PDT.)
So that's why some of us believe the child porn claim has legs, and I would have to think, at that point, as I said to someone else on X, I'd put this at at least an 8 out of 10.
But the claim made in the 4th and 10 Tweet is explosive. The claim is "massive amounts of child porn" and some claims are saying "and much worse".
I'm not sure, at this point, what there could be that would be "much worse". It's one of the reasons I made the statement to that fat fuck bigot Tyrus. There are many things that criminals will applaud that might sicken the general public (one of the reasons the rampant store robberies continue unabated -- no deterrent).
But the one thing that even criminals won't tolerate -- fucking and fucking with kids.
And that's why I do believe, until we see otherwise, that there is a very real chance that Alan Williams has gotten swept up in child porn. If this is untrue, I will apologize. But you don't report this shit like the guy from 4th and 10 and the like if you don't have the P's and Q's straight.
But the thing is... Why would the major Chicago media circle the wagons, with an insistent story that something is up of this regard?
Consider the allegation, also, that 100-year-old owner of the Bears, Virginia Halas-McCaskey, knows and helped cover it up. She's the last surviving child of George Halas. The Halas name is GOD in Chicago sports.
Set that down for a moment -- and let's take a look at what certainly is the 600-pound gorilla in the room: The Jon Gruden/Dan Snyder e-mail trove.
You know the old court saying: Discovery is a bitch.
As my anonymous friend who reads the blog talked to me this evening: A full-scale raid in this regard usually doesn't pip a small-end collector or money launderer or whatever this ends up being.
Do I believe the NFL would cover up a major child pornography person it knows about, much less a ring of many NFL personalities?
You damn well certain I do. I do not believe there is much of any limit to what the NFL would cover up to keep the gravy train going.
Now imagine if the FBI nails a two-time defensive coordinator with over 20 years of experience coaching in the NFL!
You best damn well hope it's money-laundering at that point.
Because, whatever it is, you have to think that it's big, it's been going on a long time, and it probably means there is a very high possibility that other coaches, players, and executives in the NFL know about it and probably have taken part.
That's another reason that the e-mail trove had best not see the light of day. We know Snyder was involved in all forms of sexual harassment, assault, and probably more with the team's cheerleading squad, as well as exhibitioning their nude bodies for high team officials.
So would I be shocked at all if that e-mail trove contains child porn? I'm not saying (right now) it does. But today's developments would make that a very real possibility.
And if it's money laundering? I'd be almost certain there'd be evidence of a ring of same in the top annals of the NFL in those e-mails.
But I dovetail back to the one thing that is very important here, given the reports:
You do not...
DO NOT...
DO NOT...
DO NOT...
DO NOT!!!!!
make that kind of claim blithely. That's what is getting many transgenders killed in this country, and the rest living in abject fear they're next!!! As another example, that is usually the claim that a CO will make in prison to get a prisoner disappeared. As in... KILLED.
If any kind of a Chicago media outlet makes that claim and can't back it, that's the end of them as a Chicago media outlet, especially given the devotion of fans of Da Bears, Da Bulls, Da Cubs, etc.
That's why I give this discussion credibility. Because if they are lying, for whatever and any reason (this would be the 4th and 10 guy), they're DONE. Not just sued... DONE.
They almost kill their own fans there for far lesser transgressions.
So you better damn well hope the denials are correct, or that the charges are something like money laundering. Because, if they aren't, that's an existential mortal blow to the Bears.
And if they just uncovered something of that ilk which involves a serious portion of the league...
Do you have any idea how much damage could be done to the entire fabric of American society if someone actually was able to uncover a serious child porn ring across the NFL which very few, if any, teams could avoid?
Do you have any idea how much damage could be done if, say, it's in the Snyder e-mail trove? We know Gruden wants to blow up the NFL with this lawsuit -- at least that's the last he's said of it. We know what Snyder has done, at least with respect to harassment, assault, and maybe further with the team's cheerleaders and the like.
Do I believe it's real? Again, I'd give it about 8 out of 10.
Do I believe they just found it, and are investigating it's extent? It's certainly there if the claim against Williams is as alleged.
"Stay tuned" will be an understatement.
