September 27, 2007
Willie Williams kicked off team following arrest
Like sands through the hourglass... these are the days of Willie Williams.
Williams, who was brought in as a high-risk recruit with the personal blessing of athletic director Tom Jurich, was charged with possession of marijuana, felony tampering with physical evidence and driving without a license. The high school All-American gained infamy for his long criminal record as a teenager, which derailed his intention of playing football at Miami.Several other schools passed on Williams, but after attending West Los Angeles Community College, the Cardinals took a chance on him. Williams was given a set of disciplinary guidelines to adhere to by Jurich. He failed to live up to them.
"I'm very disappointed in Willie," Jurich said in a statement. "I was confident that he had turned the corner in his life and was ready to be a valuable contributor to society and our football program. We wish Willie the best and hope that he can learn from his mistakes and move forward in his life."
For those keeping score at home, this is college football team number three now in Willie Williams's rearview mirror of life.
Williams was recruited heavily by several schools despite his double-digit arrest record. He was arrested during a recruiting trip to Florida and later signed at the University of Miami, before transferring to junior college as a redshirt freshman.
The linebacker pleaded no contest in 2004 following incidents in Gainesville, Fla., during his recruiting visit to the University of Florida. Williams was facing a felony count of setting off fire extinguishers at his hotel and a misdemeanor battery charge for hugging a woman without consent.For each plea, Williams received a year's probation as well as community service. He was arrested 11 times in a five-year span from 2000-04, mainly on theft and burglary charges. He already was on probation for a 2002 felony burglary charge.
Comments:
Cane Mutiny
posted on September 27, 2007 5:57 PM — 65.12.247.141 — link — abuse?
said:
He was originally enrolled at Miami, and we actually turned away for his criminal record (yeah, even Thug U has standards, ha ha)... This was the kid that got all the hype last year in the Louisville - Miami game because he wanted to get 'revenge' on the Canes. Looks like not even his savior-Cards want him anymore.
...It's great to be a Miami Hurricane...
posted on September 27, 2007 6:12 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?War Eagle Atlanta
said:
His next stop is probably playing in the Florida penal system league.
Zac: This isn't sad, it's pathetic. Sad would indicate that some injustice had befallen him. This was all the result of him making poor decisions. Poor decisions usually have pretty crappy consequences.
Tampa Hurricane
posted on September 28, 2007 11:41 AM — 24.96.199.254 — link — abuse? said:
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that Williams did play for UM. He was in the recruiting class of 2004, and redshirted the 2004 season. He played some games in 2005, but wasn't any good. Between the 2005 and the 2006 season, Williams asked to be released due to the fact that he was going to be the third or forth string LB.
After his background became known, the only way for him to still be accepted as part of the 2004 recruiting class at Miami was by following strict guidelines. He was required to keep a higher GPA than a normal athlete, the University also required him to do community service charity work, and he was given the ultimatum that he could not get into any trouble. If he broke any law (even if it was a misdemeaner) he would be kicked out of the school immediately. He was able to follow all of Miami's strict rules, but he was not a good enough LB to play at Miami.
Tampa Hurricane
posted on September 28, 2007 3:59 PM — 24.96.199.254 — link — abuse? said:
Gator Boys, remember that you guys are no better. Many other schools (including UF, FSU, Auburn....etc) wanted Williams when he was a recruit, but he chose Miami. If you remember your history, the charges against Williams were only brought up in Gainesville after Williams committed to Miami.
Gator Boys, lets also look at recent history, which program has gotten into the most off-field trouble the last year? That would be UF with all your druggie thiefs who shoot off AK-47s. Miami has cleaned up their program and all the dumbasses who state otherwise still believe it is the 1980s with JJ as our coach.
Cane Mutiny
posted on September 28, 2007 5:34 PM — 65.12.247.141 — link — abuse? said:
Ha, you're funny, Gator Boys. Do you really honestly believe that Florida is any better than Miami? The 'Thug U' thing was from the 80's and early 90's, and it's only carried over because the media needs a team to villanize. Yeah, I know, the brawl, right? Please, Dartmouth and Holy Cross had a brawl the very same week. Call them thugs and then maybe you'll be able to start talking credibly.
I mean, Miami is badass, but not because we're thugs, heh...
...It's great to be a Miami Hurricane...
Regan said:
posted on September 29, 2007 8:22 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
How many Hurricane players have gotten arrested and charged for anything while at Miami in the last ten years?
Exactly.
I won't point fingers at UF or any other school with regards to having "Thugs"; it is really sad when a kid with a promising career screws it up by doing something stupid, no matter what school he played for.
But the Talking Heads aren't in Casey Kasem's Top 40, the Gipper isn't still president, gas costs more than a dollar per gallon, and Miami is no longer "Thug U".
Reputations apparently are immune to statistics in this sport. :-)
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Zac said:
posted on September 27, 2007 5:08 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?Hmph, Miami didn't take him? There's a surprise. (Only joking, C-Dogg.)
This is probably the sadest case there is next to a promising young player getting killed in an accident. It's bad enough when a kid comes in to a college, earns a scholarship and blows it by pulling a bone-headed stunt. Here's a kid that's been making a habit of it, was given a 2nd chance, and threw it away. What a shame!!!