Whatever Happened to ....

He is without question...the Best Defensive HS FB Player I've ever watched in 40yrs of watching Fl HS FB....An absolute Man amongst Boys....Absolutely unstoppable....
 
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I still don’t understand how a man with his IQ wasn’t able to learn Shannon’s Defense.
 
Wasn't this the kid that the Gators had arrested an hour or so after he committed to us for the fire extinguisher bull****?
He had a substantial public rap sheet long before he committed to us. In fact, I saw his public page on the Florida Department of Corrections website (all convicted criminals in the Florida criminal justice system have similar pages). It was really bad before he finished HS. And those were just the non-juvenile offenses.

I don't know how we ever decided to recruit him given what was a pretty bad public record of crime.

I saw this after he signed.

I don't know why anybody would recruit him. Despite his talent. I have never seen a kid go through recruiting with such a bad history of crime. It was all non-violent crimes, though, mainly burglary and similar crimes.

Still shaking head over this one.
 
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He had a substantial public rap sheet long before he committed to us. In fact, I saw his public page on the Florida Department of Corrections website (all convicted criminals in the Florida criminal justice system have similar pages). It was really bad before he finished HS. And those were just the non-juvenile offenses.

I don't know how we ever decided to recruit him given what was a pretty bad public record of crime.

I saw this after he signed.

I don't know why anybody would recruit him. Despite his talent. I have never seen a kid go through recruiting with such a bad history of crime. It was all non-violent crimes, though, mainly burglary and similar crimes.

Still shaking head over this one.

Something like 13 arrests, but he was very charismatic, apparently. The kind of guy you'd never think got into all that trouble.

As for recruiting him, the entire world seems to think Shalalalala wanted to destroy the football team. How many of you remember the statement she released advocating for him and explaining why we were admitting him?

Weird how a person ****-bent on ruining Miami football went to bat for a star player that should never have been admitted.
 
Wasn't this the kid that the Gators had arrested an hour or so after he committed to us for the fire extinguisher bull****?

On Feb. 4, three days after the publication of the final diary entry, Williams held a signing day press conference inside the Carol City High library. It was a lighthearted affair, with Williams striding to the podium and announcing, “I feel great about today!”

He first donned a throwback Deion Sanders Florida State jersey and hat—then tossed the garments aside and switched to Hurricane garb. “I’m gonna go to UM!” he said to loud cheers.

As soon as he jotted his name on the letter of intent, he called Vernon Hargreaves, Miami’s linebackers coach, to deliver the news. Coker then got on the line—unaware he was being heard via speaker by a room filled with Williams fans.

“Willie Williams?” Coker said.

“How you doing, Coach?” he replied.

“You know what, everyone’s going crazy down here, man,” Coker said. “I’m doing cartwheels over here. I’m doing great, and let me tell you something: You’re going to do great, too. You’re committed to us, we’re committed to you. Let’s do a couple of things—let’s win some championships and let’s get your degree. You’ve got that three-year plan. Let’s get it done!”

With that, a room filled with friends and family members swooned.

With that, the bombs began to fall.

Within hours of the press conference, the Gainesville Police Department filed three criminal complaints against Williams for incidents that allegedly occurred within a five-hour span during his visit.

According to reports, Williams allegedly punched Akeem Thompson, a 22-year-old local man, in the face multiple times inside Royal Blue nightclub “for no apparent reason.” He also hugged Joanna Braganza, a female University of Florida student, from behind without permission, then refused to immediately let go.

Most serious, Williams allegedly discharged three fire extinguishers at the UF Hilton, where he was staying.

The first two charges were misdemeanors, the last a felony.

Bruce Feldman wrote in Cane Mutiny, his book about the Miami Hurricanes: “Could this be? The devilishly charming linebacker who had played the Machiavellian recruiting game for all its worth had risked crapping out by going all Mike Tyson?”

Some who know Williams remained convinced that, had he decided to become a Gator, none of the alleged incidents would have come to light.

“Do you really think any of this would’ve come out if Willie signed with Florida?” Bradford Cohen, his attorney at the time, now says. “No way. It was retribution.” (University of Florida officials have long denied any ties to the incident.) Others simply wished he’d never traveled to Gainesville—a place that didn’t interest him.

 
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Something like 13 arrests, but he was very charismatic, apparently. The kind of guy you'd never think got into all that trouble.

As for recruiting him, the entire world seems to think Shalalalala wanted to destroy the football team. How many of you remember the statement she released advocating for him and explaining why we were admitting him?

Weird how a person ****-bent on ruining Miami football went to bat for a star player that should never have been admitted.
Willie's Principal and several teachers stood up for him....His test scores were excellent....
Oh.. and Btw....F Shalala....
 
How hard is it to play man under cover 2 every play? I guess Randy preferred Romeo Davis and Glenn Cook.

Yeah, let's blame Shannon, never mind He lacked instinct...never mind the greatest RB coach in the history of The University Of Miami wanted to slap em':

In the flesh, he was everything that had been advertised. “His raw ability was unbelievable, like nothing I’d ever seen before,” says Beason, a fellow Miami linebacker. “The way he ran wasn’t perfect, but he was the fastest. The way he lifted wasn’t ideal, but he was lifting tons of weight. He was an absolute specimen.”

As the early days passed, however, coaches and teammates began spotting imperfections.

In high school, Williams was a freelance artist. If he wanted to chase the running back, he chased the running back. If he wanted to rush the passer, he rushed the passer.

“He was one of the three most talented players I’d ever seen,” says Glenn Cook, a Hurricanes linebacker who now scouts for the Green Bay Packers. “When you’re that talented, you can take over high school games. Which he did. But college is different, especially Division I. You have to play instinctively. And, to be honest, Willie didn’t have great instincts.”

Williams’ arrest record frustrated Miami’s coaches.

His play in practice, however, drove them to drink. He went hard, then half-speed, then slow. He would listen to a coach’s instructions, nod knowingly, then ignore what had just been said.

Williams had spent much of his life as a masterful bulls--- artist.

He told people what they wanted to hear, and usually was believed. Miami’s coaches, however, were used to working with kids from the ghetto and projects. They knew fast talk from real talk, and called Williams’ repeated bluff.

“He couldn’t get it right,” says Don Soldinger, Miami’s longtime running backs coach. “His skills—unmatched. But he just didn’t give a s---. He was a dog. He didn’t care. That’s the frustrating part. I mean, wake the f--- up. You just wanted to slap the s--- out of him.”


 
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I will never fault Miami for taking a chance on him. Super glad we tried with him, Gabe Terry, even Sam Bruce. They were more or less good souls that didn't have their heads screwed on straight and didn't see the consequences of their actions. There are lots of kids like that who turn their lives around because a coach showed them a different path. The fact Willie has gotten his life back together should be considered a win for society, and Miami football deserves some credit for that, even if it took a decade to sink in. I am 100% certain that if Willie had gone to Florida, where they didn't do **** to straighten kids out, the outcome would have been much worse.
 
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Within hours of the press conference (and commitment to Miami), the Gainesville Police Department filed three criminal complaints against Williams for incidents that allegedly occurred within a five-hour span during his visit.

But yet a serial killer is allowed to run wild in the kkkanesville, busting caps in heads, breaking jaws...you get the picture
 
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