Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis and Joe Vitt aren’t going to be the only notable names in attendance at an NFL game this week.
Gregg Williams is going to be in attendance at another Rams game on Thursday night. The NFL confirmed to PFT that Williams will be in the stands as the team he was planning to work for this season takes on the Cardinals to kick off the fifth week of the regular season. It’s the second straight game that Williams, whose son Blake is the Rams’ linebackers coach, will attend in person.
As part of his punishment from the league, we know that Williams will not be permitted to interact with players or team officials during the game. What remains less clear is whether or not he has to ask permission from the league every time he wants to sit in the stands for a game.
The league and the Rams maintain that he has been suspended indefinitely from the league and, as a result, needs to get the go-ahead from the NFL before he can walk through the turnstiles. When Williams attended last week’s win over the Seahawks, the league said that permission was granted for that game, but they’ve only said that they are aware he will be in attendance this time. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported earlier this week that Williams has been banned, as opposed to suspended, which means that he does not need to ask permission from the league to attend a game if he is sitting in the stands.
Either way, the close connection of Williams’ affidavit in the bounty case and his return to NFL stadiums is sure to keep eyebrows raised.