NFLPA releases statement on Williams' tape, said it knew of existence

In an NFLPA statement released Monday morning, the union said it knew about the existence of the Gregg Williams' audio tape. "We had no control of the content and did not make a determination on the method of its release," the union said.

While filmmaker Sean Pamphilon says he wants Roger Goodell to answer “real questions” before he hands over the audio tapes he made of former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ pregame rant last season, the NFLPA released a statement Monday morning saying it knew about the tape’s existence before it was uploaded to YouTube.

It’s also clear from the statement that the NFLPA isn’t entirely happy with the Saints punishment provided by the league.

“The NFLPA was aware of the existence of the Gregg Williams audio prior to its release,” the union said in the statement. “We learned of the tape as part of our effort to obtain any and all information related to an alleged pay-to-injure scheme. We had no control of the content and did not make a determination on the method of its release. To date, the NFL has not provided the NFLPA with detailed evidence of the existence of such a program.”

In related news, via NFL.com’s Albert Breer, Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth and NFLPA director DeMaurice Smith are meeting with NFL officials today, presumably to discuss New Orleans’ bounty program.

The union members declined comment to reporters who were outside the NFL offices Monday morning.

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