Article by Kevin Blackistone in the Dallas Morning News.

"If Willie Williams was just another graduating high school senior with designs on college, we wouldn't know about him. And the University of Miami, where he has designs on attending, probably wouldn't care so much.

But Williams is 6-2, 225 pounds and tackles anything on a football field that moves with the ball. He was the No. 2-rated high school football recruit in the country. It has been said that he will be the college game's next great linebacker, if not the NFL's. The Hurricanes signed him in February.

That is why we know about Willie Williams. The rest of the Willie Williams story is why it is so difficult not to be cynical about big-time college athletics.

Williams appeared in a Broward County, Fla., court Tuesday. He had violated probation that he had received for participating in a store burglary a couple of years ago.

Miami administrators, who oversee their small selective school that is overshadowed by their powerhouse football program, actually said they were waiting for the court's ruling before deciding whether to admit Williams. If the judge revoked Williams' probation, he could have been sent to jail for a year, all but making Miami's decision easy.

But Circuit Court Judge Michael Kaplan decided Tuesday to give Williams more probation. Kaplan graduated from Miami in 1980.

Williams' attorney Paul Lazarus said he was very optimistic that Miami would go ahead and admit Williams.

Miami director of admissions Edward Gillis told The Miami Herald afterward: "Now we can begin looking at all this."

But if Williams' admittance wasn't a question before his probation violation, why would it be now? How about this? We're talking about a 19-year-old who has been arrested 11 times now.

How did Williams get busted this time? Like many college football players, he couldn't behave himself during the off-season.

Check the college football blotter just for this week. Virginia Tech suspended Michael Vick's little brother, Marcus, after he was charged with reckless driving and possession of marijuana. Two Memphis players were charged with arson. Three Florida International players were charged with felonies in connection with an on-campus robbery, including one player whose charges included attempted murder for firing his gun and assault for pistol-whipping a victim.

For the safety of all of us, maybe the NCAA should institute year-round football practice.

Williams got busted for his behavior during a recruiting trip last January to Miami-rival Florida. It sounded mostly like juvenile stuff, emptying a fire extinguisher in a hotel and getting into a bar fight. I don't know what to make of the charge he hugged a female student against her will, save that we all should keep our hands to ourselves, especially in mixed company.

Williams' previous arrests as a kid were for stealing candy and toys, it was reported.

His latest fallout with the law resulted in house arrest and his being fitted with an electronic monitoring device on his ankle. He needed special permission from the court to attend his prom. Guess who gave him the OK? Judge Kaplan, the '80 Miami grad.

"I'm not really a fan," Kaplan told the Herald.

All right. And Williams isn't getting special treatment, either.

There is no disputing that Williams has just received another second chance, one that he probably wouldn't have gotten had he not been such a great athlete who people will pay Miami tons of money to watch play. What school rakes in millions for having recruited the best high school science student in the country?

It isn't a question of whether Williams should be getting ready for summer practice on Larry Coker's team. He will. Miami won't turn him away now.

Maybe it shouldn't, either. As soon as Miami says it won't accept Williams because of his struggles obeying the law, some other school will step up and embrace the soon-to-be NFL star with open arms.

And maybe some other school should if Miami does not. Connecticut gave a similar juvenile delinquent, basketball player Caron Butler, another second chance and he has turned out to be a pretty good guy so far. He's in the NBA with the Miami Heat, causing trouble only for opponents.

(Meanwhile, SMU basketball player Bryan Hopkins will probably be penalized a game for playing in a summer tournament not sanctioned by the NCAA. Does that, or similar eligibility cases, make sense against the Williams story?)

The only question from the Willie Williams story is: Exactly how many second chances does great athleticism grant? Or does he have another to blow?"


I say no way since he is a lawsuit waiting to happen, not to mention NCAA violations. I think school intergrity is worth more. :wave:

Good article. Unfortunately, I'm an FIU fan if you can't already tell :bang:

Williams is a felony waiting to happen :rolleyes:

Waiting?? He already is a felon who was on probation and now got a slap on the wrist because the judge is a Hurricane Alumni. :bang:
This kid will never learn until he gets knocked down a peg or two.
Just what I want to see on Sundays another felon who will crash out of the league in less than 3-4 years. :snore:

untbowler Wrote:Waiting?? He already is a felon who was on probation and now got a slap on the wrist because the judge is a Hurricane Alumni. :bang:
This kid will never learn until he gets knocked down a peg or two.

That is why I said he is a felony waiting to happen. I would be suprised if he stays out of trouble long enough to get drafted.

I don't think its fair to say that he got a slap on the wrist because the judge is a Miami alum. The judicial types that I know (at least by reputation) are not sports fans.

Unfortuanately, minor felons get slapped on the wrist these days because there are worse felons filling up the jails.

Sad, but college football is really nothing more than an NFL farm team. This guy should never be allowed to play at any college, but almost any 1-A college would probably accept him just to win a football game. It is a sad commentary on college football! :bang:

Raider,

I think it would be sufficient to say he got a slap on the wrist. He was already on probation for a felony and knew he had to stay out of trouble and the idiot still got busted.

badgerwolf Wrote:Sad, but college football is really nothing more than an NFL farm team. This guy should never be allowed to play at any college, but almost any 1-A college would probably accept him just to win a football game. It is a sad commentary on college football! :bang:

That is it in a nutshell about SPORTS in general. The players seem to have a different set of rules.

The irony is that the Gators was high on his list. His violations occured during their official visit. It was reported AFTER he signed with Miami.
There are some programs who wouldn't touch him. But there are a lot of AD's who would take him with some type of provisions. Boosters and Alumni still run the show at MANY colleges. Good football players fills stadium seats. I'm not condoning what he did but we've seen too many times how these high school athletes are given a free pass with the hopes that they will clean up their acts. Some take advantage of it and some don't.

Willie's history seem to say he may have trouble following the rules if he's let in. Hopefully I'm wrong.