Report: Alan Williams Resigned from Bears After 'Inappropriate' Conduct; Not Criminal

The resignation of Chicago Bears defensive coordinator didn't center around "criminal activity," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported on Sunday NFL Countdown (via Awful Announcing) the Bears' human resources department did, however, weigh in on what was deemed "inappropriate" conduct.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini provided more information about what happened behind the scenes in Chicago:

"Multiple people on the Bears property spotted a forensic vehicle parked outside the facility in the wake of Williams' resignation. I was told by multiple league sources this is standard practice when a team employee has resigned or has been fired. That employee's work devices, such as a computer and cell phone, are downloaded out of caution. This is a layer of protection for the Bears against potential future lawsuits involving a former employee, those sources said."

Williams resigned Wednesday and cited a need "to take care of my health and family" as part of his reasoning for stepping away from the team.

Speculation about Williams ran rampant on social media and prompted the Bears to publicly confirm their team facilities weren't raided by FBI officials. Andrew M. Stroth, who's representing the former coach, also denied there was any raid on his client's home.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles said the initial reports of a raid at Halas Hall were "completely false" and that he wasn't sure how the idea would've surfaced in the first place.

Ahead of Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus described the discourse as "crazy."

"I said, hey all those rumors and stuff going on right now, that crazy stuff, none of that is true," he told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport of what he communicated to his players. "'Alan is resigning,' and I said, 'We'll be keeping all the same responsibilities on defense and I'll be calling the plays on game day. Any questions?' It was better that way, with fewer people in the room. It took me more time, but that's the way I wanted to do it."

For now, Chicago remains without a defined defensive coordinator. Rapoport reported Eberflus "eventually might name a defensive coordinator" at some point this season.