Why NFL is considering suspending Cowboys WR Terrance Williams for up to 4 games
Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrance Williams, who was arrested for misdemeanor public intoxication in May, is bracing for a suspension from the NFL that could be up to four games, sources tell the Star-Telegram.
No final decision on length has been made.
Williams has yet to receive an official notice from the NFL and will immediately appeal once it comes to keep him on the field in the interim, per a source.
But a suspension is expected by Williams and the Cowboys. They are just waiting for the league to pull the trigger, per a source.
It is one reason the Cowboys signed Brice Butler on Tuesday, putting a usually high number of seven receivers on the roster heading into Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Owner Jerry Jones wouldn’t confirm a coming suspension for Williams on his radio show on 105.3 the Fan Friday but he didn’t deny the possibility.
“Certainly, Terrance Williams would be missed should we not be able to have him,” Jones said. “As it turns out we got a top group in numbers so we will make the adjustments as we need be.”
Past misdemeanor alcohol arrests have usually drawn suspensions from the NFL of one or two games.
The NFL is considering a longer suspension because of the questionable circumstances surrounding the case, per a source.
Williams was initially arrested by Frisco police after they found his car wrecked on the side of the road after hitting a light pole. They went to his home and came upon an intoxicated Williams riding a motorized scooter. He was arrested for public intoxication.
Body cam and dash cam footage showed a rambling Williams accusing former Baylor teammate Kendall Wright of driving the car at the time of the accident. He later acknowledged that he was the driver.
The case was resolved with the city of Frisco and dismissed by the courts after he completed a state-mandated alcohol awareness education course and paid for the damages his Lamborghini did to a light pole.
The NFL doesn’t need a conviction to impose discipline.
According to the league’s personal conduct policy, all persons associated with the NFL are required to avoid “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League. And persons can be “guilty of conduct detrimental and subject to discipline, even where the conduct itself does not result in conviction of a crime.”
And that Williams could have and likely should have been charged with the more serious charge of driving while intoxicated is among the factors being considering in his suspension, per a source.
A suspension could put Williams’ job in jeopardy on a team that is heavy at receiver. His $3.5 million base salary for 2018 would no longer be guaranteed.
Per a source, “all” Cowboys contracts have language in them to void guaranteed money if a player is suspended.
Williams has just two catches for 18 yards in two games so far. His snaps have been limited to primarily running sets coming off a season in which he didn’t catch a touchdown pass for the first time in his carer.
This story was originally published September 20, 2018 at 11:11 PM.