We’ll pardon you if you can’t recall Bernard Williams’ name. Before a marijuana suspension ended his career 29 years ago, he was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for just one season. He was officially still on the Eagles roster even though he hasn’t played since the 1994 campaign. This past week was his official release.
In 1994, Williams was chosen by the Eagles as the 14th overall choice. After a promising rookie campaign, he appeared to be headed toward securing their starting left tackle spot for years to come. But he was suspended for the whole 1995 season after testing positive for marijuana before to the season. During the ban, he failed a second test, and the league never formally reinstated him.
He played professional football in the CFL, XFL, and Arena League, among other leagues, but he was never able to return to the NFL. Despite everything, the Eagles continued to uphold his rights. Up until his official dismissal this past week, he remained, technically, an official part of the roster.
Williams recently sought for several league benefits, and he believes the Eagles finally took notice, he told Andrew DiCecco of Insidethebirds.com. He was also unaware of his official release date and roster status.
“When Ventell Boulware, a scout for the Packers, contacted and inquired about the last time I had worked with the NFL, I was really at work. Ventell was a student I had coached in high school. “Well, your name just came across the [transaction] wire,” he replied, in response to my recent application for certain benefits. Like, ‘For what?’ And he said, “You were released by the Eagles.” I thought I had a notion, but they never let me go. And I’ve always been curious about what transpired.”The Eagles protected my rights throughout all of that when I traveled to Canada. My rights were never granted by them. However, I was unaware that I remained on the roster after 29 years.”
Williams had a fantastic debut campaign, starting every 16 games. The NFL’s antiquated marijuana policies simply prevented him from ever really having the opportunity to demonstrate the kind of player he could have been.philadelphia eagles news
