Current:Home > ContactEagles release 51-year-old former player nearly 30 years after his final game -Streamline Finance
Eagles release 51-year-old former player nearly 30 years after his final game
NovaQuant View
Date:2025-04-09 03:11:56
Every day, the NFL transaction wire has dozens of names, mostly of players who are on the fringe of NFL rosters or are dealing with some sort of injury.
So it was a shock when former Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Bernard Williams, who hadn't played in almost three decades, found out he was cut by the team that drafted him in 1994.
Williams, now 51, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he was driving his Amazon delivery route earlier this week and got a text from an NFL scout that he coached in high school.
“He said, ‘I saw it come across the wire,’” Williams said. “This came out of nowhere."
The Eagles drafted Williams with the 14th overall pick in the 1994 draft.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
Williams played his rookie season, then was suspended for six games in 1995 and then banned again for the rest of the season. He never played an NFL down after that and never applied for reinstatement. Williams had remained on the suspended list ever since.
“It was about me dealing with personal stuff,” Williams told the newspaper. “A lot of grief at that point in my life that I hadn’t dealt with. I really needed to take some time off, but I couldn’t. Marijuana was my crutch during that time. Pretty much, I just wanted to be home. I applaud the young athletes like Simone Biles who are taking time off to deal with their personal issues and mental health. If I was given that opportunity back then, I think I would’ve played a lot longer than I did.”
Williams returned to football in 2000, playing for the Canadian Football League, the Arena Football League and the XFL.
“I think I could’ve played 10, 15 years and been a Hall of Fame player,” Williams said. “I think my talent was that great. But I also think football isn’t life and it’s never been for me. I do love football, but I love myself more. I think about the $50 million down the drain, maybe $100 million down the drain, but when I was rich I wasn’t happy. The money doesn’t bother me.”
An Eagles spokesman told NBC Sports Philadelphia that NFL officials contacted the team recently and explained that they were clearing out decades-old players on various reserve lists when Williams’ name surfaced.
veryGood! (2246)
Related
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- ATTN: Target’s New Pet Collab Has Matching Stanley Cups and Accessories for You and Your Furry Friend
- Horoscopes Today, September 20, 2024
- Florida deputy accidentally shoots and kills his girlfriend, officials say
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Federal officials have increased staff in recent months at NY jail where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is held
- David Beckham talks family, Victoria doc and how Leonardo DiCaprio helped him win an Emmy
- Footage shows NYPD officers firing at man with knife in subway shooting that wounded 4
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Where is the best fall foliage? Maps and forecast for fall colors.
Ranking
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Nikki Glaser Trolls Aaron Rodgers Over Family Feud and More at New York Jets Game
- National Queso Day 2024: Try new spicy queso at QDOBA and get freebies, deals at restaurants
- New York magazine says its star political reporter is on leave after a relationship was disclosed
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- David Beckham shares what Lionel Messi wanted the most from his move to MLS
- A dozen Tufts lacrosse players were diagnosed with a rare muscle injury
- Youngest NFL players: Jets RB Braelon Allen tops list for 2024
Recommendation
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Election 2024 Latest: Trump and Harris campaign for undecided voters with just 6 weeks left
Golden Bachelorette Contestant Gil Ramirez Faced Restraining Order Just Days Before Filming
Teen Mom's Catelynn Lowell Slams Claims She Chose Husband Tyler Baltierra Over Daughter Carly
Intellectuals vs. The Internet
California fire agency employee arrested on suspicion of starting 5 blazes
Estranged husband arrested in death of his wife 31 years ago in Vermont
‘She should be alive today’ — Harris spotlights woman’s death to blast abortion bans and Trump