The rumor mill was working overtime on Wednesday. Word broke that former Bears’ All-Pro DB Charles “Peanut” Tillman, who is now an FBI agent, told Bears’ owner and team general manager that defensive coordinator Alan Williams’ home was raided. Williams has since resigned, citing the need to “take care of my health and family.”
Did The Feds Raid Halas Hall And Alan Williams’ Home?
The Bears and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport have both stated, the FBI did not raid Halas Hall (team facility), the league is not involved, and Peanut Tillman is not involved whatsoever in this matter.
“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.”
So, why and how did such a wild rumor start?
How A Rumor Can Dominate A News Cycle
Williams missed the team’s Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the team said he left due to “personal reasons.” He remained away from the team as they head to Week 3.
On Wednesday Bears head coach Matt Eberflus declined to answer a question as to whether Williams was still the team’s defensive coordinator, and refused to say if he had spoken to Williams.
Then a verified “blue check” account with nearly 100,000 followers on X, ML Football, tweeted that the FBI raided Williams’ home and Halas Hall.
The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs posted on X “We’ve been operating under the belief that his absence has not been related to health or a family matter.”
So we have a coach not around and no explanation as to why, and a coach who doesn’t answer why when asked. A social media account with a blue check saying the team facility and coach’s home was raided, and then a reporter from a traditional outlet saying the absence isn’t about family or health.
That’s like throwing gasoline on kindling in a forest that hasn’t seen rain in a year. Of course it would explode into a crazy rumor and people speculating all kinds of wild stuff.
This is the danger of media in today’s 24/7 and social media era. True sourced journalism is a dying breed. In its absence people just say things and it’s up to consumers to decipher the validity.
If the “news” is about a trade that’s one thing. But FBI raids is something else entirely.
“Given the false rumors and what seems to be out there on social media, I just want to set the record straight that Coach Williams has some health challenges and some family issues he’s dealing with and he thought it was the right time to take a step back and deal with those issues,” Stroth told ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “He has tremendous respect for the Bears organization and he just though it was the time to handle this health issue and his personal matters.”
Wild times in these streets. Stay tuned.
