Bernard Williams, once a sparkling name for the Philadelphia Eagles team, had to witness an abrupt unofficial ending to his NFL career. He was in violation of the NFL’s terms and conditions just one season after his NFL career began with high hopes.
While many former league players, like Tom Brady, often surface in the headlines for their on-field successes, a recent twist involving a former Eagles player has taken center stage.
The Eagles cut Bernard Williams
The Eagles may have recently reviewed their rosters from a past season and discovered the name Bernard Williams. He hadn’t played in the NFL since 1994 due to a six-game suspension for using marijuana.
The league imposed a ban on the former Eagles, which lasted for the rest of that season. Since there is no connection between the parties, the Eagles realized that the name shouldn’t be on the roster after almost three decades.
On November 16, the team officially waived their banned offensive lineman from the team’s reserve list. Like the fans, the former player himself was stunned by the move. He made it plain that he received the news from a former player that he coached in high school.
Prior to getting the news, he knew that the Eagles kept his right on the team, yet he was unaware that the Eagles kept his name on the roster for so long.
“When I went to Canada, the Eagles kept my rights through all of that. They never released my rights. But I had no idea that I was still on the roster 29 years later.”
Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported that NFL authorities got in touch with the Eagles squad and informed them that they were releasing players who were decades old from various reserve lists. It was then that they saw Williams’ name on their roster.
When did Williams start playing in the NFL?
Bernard Williams was drafted in the first round by the Philadelphia team in 1994. The defensive tackle from Georgia played in all 16 games at left tackle in his rookie year. After a successful season, the 51-year-old’s NFL career took a hit when he became involved in a marijuana case.
Following his suspension before the 1995 season, Williams never applied for reinstatement to play again. While other suspended players eventually returned to the field after a set period, he seemed to lack motivation to do so. Instead, he explored opportunities with the XFL, AFL, and CFL, staying in the league’s database for nearly three decades.
At one point, Bernard expressed his frustration with marijuana, acknowledging that it abruptly ended his national-level football journey.
“It was about me dealing with personal stuff. 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.”
Despite his unpopular tenure on the field as a member of the Eagles, Williams is still a supporter of the team as it was the team that showcased a great level of optimism in him, drafting him in the first round of the draft.
“People ask me all the time, ‘Who’s your team?’ I’m gonna always be an Eagles guy because the Eagles chose me,” he said.
Williams-less Eagles have been enjoying their dynasty in the league. In Week 11, the team is going to battle the Kansas City Chiefs while the Chiefs Travis Kelce and pop star Taylor Swift’s family will meet officially for the first time.
How do you describe the team’s sudden move with their former who added their name to the headlines again amid the dating rumors of their supporter Swift family’s daughter dating rumor with Kelce?
