‘One of the darkest times of my life’: Tim Williams uses 2016 ’embarrassment’ to drive him

While many others would put a bad year to the back of their minds, Tim Williams chooses to keep it at the top of his.

In 2016, as a senior member of the Alabama Crimson Tide and one of the top prospects for the NFL draft the next year, Williams was arrested because he didn’t have the appropriate permits to keep a pistol in his car.

“That’s when my light turned on, when I went through the public embarrassment. That whole situation really made me change how I view my life – I have three kids and a wife now,” the Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive end said on Monday. “I looked back on 2016 as one of the darkest times of my life because I went third or fourth round and was supposed to go first round and lost $20 million easily.

“I’m not forgetting it. I feel like if you try to forget the things that happen to you, it’s easy to go back to it so I feel like I think about it every day because it’s what drives me, it’s what gives me inspiration to keep going.”

He says the reason he was arrested was that he didn’t seek out the proper permits, thinking laws in Alabama were similar to the ones at home in Louisiana.

“In Louisiana, when you purchase a firearm, you don’t need a concealed permit paper to put it in your car, your car is an extension of your home in Louisiana. That was on me, I made a mistake,” Williams said.

During his time at Alabama, Williams recorded 20 sacks over four seasons, including nine in his senior year.

But the incident dropped him to the third round of the draft, where the Baltimore Ravens picked him 78th overall.

Before he was a prospect for the NFL, Williams was one of the top high school football players from Baton Rouge.

Unlike other top football players from the state, he decided his path to the pros didn’t go through the LSU Tigers – thanks to some advice from his mom.

“I had a very strict mom … When she met (Alabama coach Nick Saban) she had the vibe like, ‘OK this is the guy I want you to get coached by,’” Williams said. “Saban is like that fearless general that knows there’s a blueprint to winning – if you follow the blueprint, we’re going to win every year. Saban is like (former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) – to the media he looks like he doesn’t laugh or joke but to the players in the locker room, he is very funny.”

At Alabama, he won a National College Football championship in 2015 with the Crimson Tide.

But the success he saw in college was  a far cry from how his pro career went.

Williams would eventually be released by the Ravens in 2019. He was claimed off waivers by the Green Bay Packers, but released again in 2020. He also spent a short period of time with the Seattle Seahawks.

Williams said he was waiting to hear if there were any more opportunities available for him in the NFL.

“I’m not going to sit out another year and wait for a workout – I need to play football,” Williams said. “I’d play football in the parking lot right now because that’s how bad I want to play ball.”

And with the Riders and CFL calling, he made the trek north to Canada.

“This where my mind is at, I’m focused on Saskatchewan right now,” Williams said. “A lot of exciting stuff happens in the NFL but you can see some stuff up here so I’m excited to run sideline to the sideline because I’m a pass rusher and this is a passing league so I’m excited to get after the quarterbacks here.”

Notes

The Roughriders announced a few roster moves on Tuesday. The team has added linebacker Gary Johnson Jr., linebacker Michael Pinckney, fullback David Savard, wide receiver Jordan Suell. It has released defensive lineman Markus Jones, linebacker Oluwaseun Idowu, linebacker Nakas Onyeka and receiver Kermit Whitfield … Offensive guard Evan Johnson missed practice and isn’t expected to be back for a few days. He has left to be with his wife as they get ready to become parents … Defensive back Vincent Dethier hurt his knee. While Head coach Craig Dickenson doesn’t know the extent of it, he’s expected to miss at least a week … Defensive end Anthony Lanier (hamstring) is expected to miss the next few days … Wide receiver Jake Harty has a bruise on his knee and was kept out of practice for it … Defensive back Lorenzo Jerome (knee) also missed practice on Tuesday and is expected to be out a couple days.