Current:Home > InvestEagles release 51-year-old former player nearly 30 years after his final game -InvestTomorrow
Eagles release 51-year-old former player nearly 30 years after his final game
View
Date:2025-04-12 22:29:04
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! (3)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- A massive comet some say looks like the Millennium Falcon may be visible from Earth next year
- Americans are still putting way too much food into landfills. Local officials seek EPA’s help
- Deaf family grieves father of 4 and beloved community leader who was killed in Maine shootings
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Stock market rebounds after S&P 500 slides into a correction. What's next for your 401(k)?
- Nevada man charged with threatening U.S. senator in antisemitic messages
- Two pastors worry for their congregants’ safety. Are more guns the answer or the problem?
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Family asks DOJ to investigate March death of Dexter Wade in Mississippi
Ranking
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- New York woman claimed her $1 million Powerball ticket the day before it expired
- Tarantula crossing the road blamed for crash that sent a Canadian motorcyclist to the hospital
- Joran van der Sloot is sent back to Peru after US trial and confession in Holloway killing
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- 'He was pretty hungry': Fisherman missing 2 weeks off Washington found alive
- How UAW contracts changed with new Ford, GM and Stellantis deals
- Judge temporarily blocks federal officials from removing razor wire set up by Texas to deter border crossings
Recommendation
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
5 Things podcast: Israel expands its Gaza incursion, Maine shooting suspect found dead
Zoos and botanical gardens find Halloween programs are a hit, and an opportunity
India-led alliance set to fund solar projects in Africa in a boost to the energy transition
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
U.S. says Russia executing soldiers who refuse to fight in Ukraine
'Never saw the stop sign': Diamondbacks rue momentum-killing gaffe in World Series Game 3
Matthew Perry once said his death would 'shock' but not 'surprise' people. That's how many are feeling.