ALLEN PARK — On Tuesday, Lions coach Jim Schwartz said trying to connect offensive coordinator Scott Linehan to tampering charges was “ridiculous.”

Ricky Williams and Linehan exchanged pleasantries last December after Detroit had beaten the Dolphins in Miami.

It’s a common everyday occurrence for coaches and opposing players to have a few words especially if they have a history.

Nothing wrong with that.Williams talked to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Monday after he was signed by Baltimore and said, ““For me, last year when we played the Lions, Scott Linehan, who was the offensive coordinator here with coach (Nick) Saban, he came up to me after the game, and he said that if you need a home, we’d love to have you on our team.”

Well, ProFootballTalk.com took it a step further and said the comments, if they were made, “violate the letter and spiriting of the tampering rules.”

Linehan issued a statement on Tuesday through the Lions that said: “I have great regard for Ricky as a person and a player, but my recollection of our exchange is not what was reported. Like most coaches do after games, I briefly talked to one of my former players and wished him well. It was no different than what goes on after every NFL game between coaches and their former players.’’

Coach Jim Schwartz has Linehan’s back on this.

“I’ve talked to Scott about it. The conversation that Scott had there was nothing more to it than well-wishing after a game,’’ Schwartz said. ‘Coaches after every single game you see players you’ve coached before and wish them well and things like that.

“I think it can end there. It’s pretty ridiculous that somebody could consider that, I know its just a reporter, that somebody would consider that anything more than well wishing,’’ he added.

Schwartz said coaches who have worked with Williams respect him, that’s how it was with Linehan

The Lions were involved in a tampering issue last year involving the Kansas City Chiefs.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche)