Defensive end Tre Williams saved Arkansas coach Sam Pittman from having to suspend him from the Razorbacks’ appearance in the Outback Bowl by announcing Sunday that he is foregoing his eligibility to enter the NFL Draft.
The move came hours after he had been arrested for a suspected DUI charge, and came with an apology for his actions.
Williams, a Missouri grad, who led the Hogs’ pass rush this year, evidently fell asleep in the drive-through line at the McDonald’s on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. with his car in park just after 1 a.m. Sunday morning, according to a police report.
He’s not the first person, or the first Razorback to fall asleep inebriated in a vehicle, and probably won’t be the last.
This won’t be the end of us bottom boy survivors ???? pic.twitter.com/wbnjAhlHK7
— Tre Williams (@Tr3Tim3) December 19, 2021
I appreciate the statement he issued, and its sentiments.
“My time here has been amazing since I have arrived last summer,” Williams wrote. “Although it was for a short time y’all welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to experience the best collegiate season I could have asked for.
“With that being said, I have decided it is best for me to pursue my NFL dreams and move on to the next level.
“With regards to what happened early this morning, I want to apologize for what occurred and not representing the state and logo the way that it should be represented, which is with pride and honor.”
It would be easy to criticize the young man, but we’ve all made mistakes.
A man who was writing in the dirt once told an angry mob who was about to kill a person for a transgression, “He who is without sin, cast the first stone.”
No one did. So, why should we today?
It’s not so much that we make mistakes, but how we eventually handle them that matters. Here’s to hoping Williams, who led the Hogs with 6 sack and 36 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus, rises above this situation and goes on to a fine NFL career.
This may or may not mean that he’ll have to go the free-agent route, but that might have been the case anyway?
Like most programs, over the years, Arkansas has had to suspend its share of players from bowl games for a range of allegations from accused rape, DUI, pot possession, steroids, shoplifting, and theft.
Some of that stuff happened before I was a teenager. It does no one any good to retrace that type of information or list names and their infractions, which they would no doubt rather forget.
But don’t believe that everyone has forgotten that stuff, and it’s not just people who had to cover it as part of their job.
The trouble Razorbacks caused opponents on the field or on the court are remembered, but so are the issues certain players caused for their coaches off the field, too.
Editor’s note: Williams was suspended from the Missouri football team in December 2018 after he was arrested for an assault charge. He was later reinstated after pleading to a reduced charge.
