Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigns amid rumors [Updated]

After starting the season 0-2, things got a whole lot worse for the Chicago Bears on Wednesday.

Defensive Coordinator Alan Williams resigned from his post on Wednesday afternoon, after the internet lit up with unverified rumors that his home, as well as Halas Hall — the team’s HQ — had been raided by the FBI. Deadspin has not been able to independently confirm that Williams’ home was raided, and no reputable news outlets have reported that story.

Deadspin reached out to the FBI in an attempt to confirm any of the rumors swirling online about Williams. The Bureau declined to comment on what they called the “existence or non-existence of an investigation.”

It should be noted that @JohnZSports’ claim that Halas Hall was raided turned out to be untrue as insiders such as WSCR Radio’s Mark Grote, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported.

Upon his resignation, Williams released a statement that said, in part:

“I am taking a step back to take care of my health and my family. I value the NFL shield and all that it stands for and after taking some time to address my health, I plan to come back and coach again.”

However, The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs said, “We’ve been operating under the belief that his absence has not been related to health or a family matter.”

And while Williams claims he is resigning to focus on his health and family, it appears he is working with Chicago-based sports attorney Andrew M. Stroth, who told Cronin:

“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 said. “He has tremendous respect for the Bears organization and he just thought it was the time to handle this health issue and his personal matters.”

According to 670 The Score, Stroth added that “There’s absolutely no criminal activity” regarding his client.

Williams remained away from the team this week after missing Week 2, and the Bears reported that he left the team for “personal reasons.” On Wednesday, Eberflus declined to answer a reporter’s question regarding whether Williams was still the defensive coordinator, nor would he discuss whether he had spoken to Williams.

Williams, who was in his second year with the Bears, spent four seasons as the Indianapolis Colts’ safeties coach. Williams was in his second go-round with Chicago, having served as the defensive backs coach for 10 seasons (2002-2011).

This is a developing story and we will be updating as more details emerge. For more news please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.