3,089 yards, 26 touchdowns
Ex-NFL professional Mike Williams dies after a construction accident
September 13, 2023, 4:00 p.m
Mike Williams catches passes for more than 3,000 yards in the NFL and the former wide receiver has 26 touchdowns in his books. But the career of the ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers professional quickly stalls. Now Williams died in a construction accident.
Former NFL professional Mike Williams is dead. The former wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Buffalo Bills died on Tuesday (local time) in a hospital in Tampa, according to his agent Hadley Engelhard, as reported by the AP news agency. Former football player Williams, who was seriously injured in a construction accident two weeks ago, was 36 years old. The former athlete was doing electrical work when the accident happened, the agent said. Williams was partially paralyzed by the injuries and was taken off a ventilator on September 7, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
“We are saddened by the untimely passing of Mike Williams, which leaves our organization, his former teammates and fans with heavy hearts,” the Bucs said in a statement on social media. “We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones as they mourn this tragedy.”
Williams was drafted in the fourth round, 101st overall, in 2010 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for whom he played four seasons. He led the team with 964 receiving yards and eleven touchdowns in his rookie season, and the following year he set his career high for a season with 996 receiving yards. Before the 2013 season, the receiver signed a new six-year contract with the Bucs that could have paid him more than $40 million – but after that, the receiver’s career stalled.
An injury was followed by numerous negative headlines. He was sued for misbehavior in a rented apartment and sustained a stab wound in his thigh as a result of an attack by his brother. Then-Bucs coach Lovie Smith described Williams’ behavior as “disturbing.” In 2014, the Buccaneers sent their former top receiver to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a sixth-round pick. There, too, Williams did not find his way back to the form of his first two years in the league; he was released again in December 2014. By then, he had caught eight passes for 142 yards and one touchdown in nine games for the Bills.
Williams was most recently on the NFL roster with the Kansas City Chiefs during part of the 2016 offseason. In 63 NFL appearances, he had 223 pass receptions for 3,089 yards including 26 touchdowns. The ex-professional leaves behind an eight-year-old daughter and a ten-year-old son.