Thursday, September 27, 2007

Louisville dismisses Williams following felony arrest

A disappointing Louisville Cardinals season got a little worse Thursday when linebacker Willie Williams was dismissed from the team after being arrested Wednesday night on felony charges.

Williams, who was brought in as a high-risk recruit with the personal blessing of athletic director Tom Jurich, was charged with possession of marijuana, felony tampering with physical evidence and driving without a license. The high school All-American gained infamy for his long criminal record as a teenager, which derailed his intention of playing football at Miami.

Several other schools passed on Williams, but after attending West Los Angeles Community College, the Cardinals took a chance on him. Williams was given a set of disciplinary guidelines to adhere to by Jurich. He failed to live up to them.

"I'm very disappointed in Willie," Jurich said in a statement. "I was confident that he had turned the corner in his life and was ready to be a valuable contributor to society and our football program. We wish Willie the best and hope that he can learn from his mistakes and move forward in his life."

Williams was benched in Louisville's opener against Murray State for unspecified reasons. He played in each of Louisville's first three games but was not a major factor defensively, despite the Cardinals' desperate need for playmakers on that side of the ball. Louisville has been one of the worst teams in the nation defensively, a key reason behind its 2-2 start and drop from the Top 25.

Pat Forde is a senior writer at ESPN.com.


Source: ESPN.com

No comments: