Eagles release 51-year-old OT Bernard Williams after finding out he was still part of the team
When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Georgia offensive tackle Bernard Williams in the first round of the 1994 NFL draft, little did anyone know that he'd technically still be on the team almost three decades later. According to the NFL's personnel notice for Thursday, the Eagles officially waived Williams from the "Reserve/Suspended by Commissioner-At Least One Year" […]
When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Georgia offensive tackle Bernard Williams in the first round of the 1994 NFL draft, little did anyone know that he'd technically still be on the team almost three decades later.
According to the NFL's personnel notice for Thursday, the Eagles officially waived Williams from the "Reserve/Suspended by Commissioner-At Least One Year" list. It wouldn't seem like such an uncommon practice, but this isn't a Tom Brady or Jason Peters situation of a great player extending his playing career.
Williams hasn't actually played any professional football since 2006. His last game in the NFL came in 1994, his rookie season. The former Georgia Bulldog earned a spot on the NFL's All-Rookie team back that year, but he'd soon run into some trouble with the league due to his usage of Marijuana.
He was issued a suspension by the league following his rookie year after testing positive for Marijuana, and he simply never applied for reinstatement. He remained on the Reserve/Suspended list for 29 years, that is until someone in the NFL offices started combing through data and found that he was still on the list, alerting Philadelphia that they technically had a roster move to make.
Obviously, Williams didn't count against the Eagles' active roster while on the list, but they technically still held his rights had he pursued a return to the NFL. He also wasn't getting paid by Philly or the league because of the suspension. He'd go on to play in the XFL, AFL, and the CFL after his lone season in the NFL.
This is yet another reminder of how the league's archaic policies on Marijuana robbed plenty of players of opportunity. Had Williams played in the NFL in a different era, his career might have gone much differently.
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