Merriman questions why bounty is news now

Buffalo Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman asked on his Twitter account why Bounty-Gate with Gregg Williams and the New Orleans Saints is a big deal now.

That's because Merriman, then with the San Diego Chargers, has long claimed that then-Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher ordered a hit on him in December 2007 after he hit Titans quarterback Vince Young following a handoff.

Merriman claimed then that Titans tackle David Stewart and center Kevin Mawae intentionally retaliated against him at Fisher's urging. Fisher and the Titans players denied any intentional wrongdoing, but the NFL did hand out fines in the matter.

Merriman still sounds bitter over the incident, probably because he has not been the same player since the injury with no more than four sacks in any season since the injury.

The irony in this is that Fisher and Gregg Williams, the central figure in the New Orleans Saints Bounty-Gate, have long been close coacing friends and Williams is now Fisher's defensive coordinator in St. Louis.

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Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com