Philadelphia Eagles Release Offensive Tackle Bernard Williams
The Philadelphia Eagles made a surprising move on Thursday, announcing the release of offensive tackle Bernard Williams. This decision comes despite the fact that Williams has not played for the team since 1994.
Williams was selected by the Eagles in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft and had an impressive rookie season, earning a spot on the league’s All-Rookie team. However, that would be the last time he would step onto an NFL field.
His promising career took a turn when he tested positive for marijuana in July of that year, resulting in a six-game suspension. Just three months later, Williams once again failed a drug test, leading to a suspension for the remainder of the season.
Despite the opportunity to return to the NFL in 1996 and beyond, Williams never applied for reinstatement. As a result, he has technically remained a suspended member of the Eagles for all these years.
Williams, who was the 14th overall pick in the 1994 draft out of Georgia, started all 16 games in his lone NFL season. After taking a six-year hiatus from football, he briefly played in the Canadian Football League in 2000.
Throughout his career, Williams also had stints in the XFL and Arena Football League before returning to the CFL to play for the Toronto Argonauts from 2003 to 2006. He was part of the Argonauts’ Grey Cup championship team in 2004.
Interestingly, Williams’ final NFL game coincided with former Eagles head coach Rich Kotite’s last game with the team. It’s worth noting that only 13 current Eagles players were born when Williams last played.
Now at the age of 51, Williams finds himself technically a free agent. It remains to be seen if any teams will show interest in signing the former offensive tackle.
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