Former Bills WR Mike Williams passes away from injuries sustained in construction accident

[hondo in seattle]

I only barely remember him as a Bill.  I guess I can forgive myself - he only had 8 receptions.  He was good his first three years in the NFL with Tampa and then his career fell off a cliff.  Someone remind me, what happened?  

 

In any case, prayers to his family.  Very sad.  

RIP.  

[coloradobillsfan]

This was just released 8 mins ago and says he is on life support as of this afternoon

 

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/former-riverside-and-nfl-receiver-mike-williams-reportedly-on-life-support/article_68c20e64-4c62-11ee-b620-c32ab75bc3ca.html

[coloradobillsfan]

Michael Schwartz  @MSchwartzTV  10m

I just got off the phone with Mike Williams’ agent. He tells me the former NFL wide receiver HAS NOT passed away. Williams was involved in a “construction accident,” and is in a Tampa-area hospital, according to his agent.

[teef]

well that's a bit of a mix up.

[NewEra]

So sad. RIP.  
 

he earned 11M+ during his career. Unfortunate that he had to still work construction.  Nothing against the occupation, but it’s dangerous and can have negative physical ramifications 

34 minutes ago, coloradobillsfan said:

Michael Schwartz  @MSchwartzTV  10m

I just got off the phone with Mike Williams’ agent. He tells me the former NFL wide receiver HAS NOT passed away. Williams was involved in a “construction accident,” and is in a Tampa-area hospital, according to his agent.

We’ll that would be great news if true

Edited September 6, 2023 by NewEra

[Buffalo716]

Reports are he is still alive !

 

His agent said he woke up when his daughter came in!!

 

Hang in there Mike!

[TheBillsOrDie]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/report-former-bills-syracuse-player-212609133.html

 

[HomeTeam]

8 hours ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

 

My father who was a project manager was murdered while working at a construction site in Niagara Falls along with others, poison like from Love Canal. Construction sites are high risk in more ways than one and to see he had to work that kind of a job to make ends meet is sad.

Sorry to hear about your father.

 

I work in construction, it's tough work. I'm fortunate enough in that I have the option of not having to work in this line of work  but many of my colleagues are not so fortunate.

 

That's why this passing of Mike Williams is so saddening to me. I don't know his situation, but the fact that he was not too big headed and willing to work on a construction site, that commendable.

 

May he rest in peace and may all the hard working people who are just trying to get by and provide for their families, may they be successful.

[HomeTeam]

3 hours ago, coloradobillsfan said:

This was just released 8 mins ago and says he is on life support as of this afternoon

 

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/former-riverside-and-nfl-receiver-mike-williams-reportedly-on-life-support/article_68c20e64-4c62-11ee-b620-c32ab75bc3ca.html

Oh man. Fingers crossed.

[Buffalo716]

6 minutes ago, HomeTeam said:

Sorry to hear about your father.

 

I work in construction, it's tough work. I'm fortunate enough in that I have the option of not having to work in this line of work  but many of my colleagues are not so fortunate.

 

That's why this passing of Mike Williams is so saddening to me. I don't know his situation, but the fact that he was not too big headed and willing to work on a construction site, that commendable.

 

May he rest in peace and may all the hard working people who are just trying to get by and provide for their families, may they be successful.

He is still alive !!

 

Pray !!!!

[Matt_In_NH]

21 hours ago, HomeTeam said:

Jesus man, the thought that these guys have to work in a construction site after playing football professionally is saddening. 

 

May he rest in peace 😔

Earning a living is sad?   

[EasternOHBillsFan]

2 hours ago, HomeTeam said:

Sorry to hear about your father.

 

I work in construction, it's tough work. I'm fortunate enough in that I have the option of not having to work in this line of work  but many of my colleagues are not so fortunate.

 

That's why this passing of Mike Williams is so saddening to me. I don't know his situation, but the fact that he was not too big headed and willing to work on a construction site, that commendable.

 

May he rest in peace and may all the hard working people who are just trying to get by and provide for their families, may they be successful.

 

My grandfather and father worked construction jobs for decades, and ironically both ended up causing their deaths prematurely (my grandfather worked at Hanford in the 50s and the radiation led to brain cancer). Most of the time former NFL players end up in white collar jobs or other opportunities in sports, which is why I thought it was sad that he entered the field that he did.

 

Amen.

[Bermuda Triangle]

My apologies for jumping the gun with this thread.  

[The Frankish Reich]

3 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Reports are he is still alive !

 

His agent said he woke up when his daughter came in!!

 

Hang in there Mike!

That's great news. 

 

4 hours ago, NewEra said:

he earned 11M+ during his career. Unfortunate that he had to still work construction.

I think like pretty much everyone else here, I had a lot of fun with the Caveman Mike thing and the up in smoke videos he posted.

But 10 years have passed and he's still only 36. I need to remind myself of how young a lot of these kids are when they're at their peaks and in the public eye. I wouldn't have wanted the world to know everything I did when I was in my early 20s.

Yes, hang in there Mike ...

[Doc]

Good luck Mike.

[boyst]

Let's go man, get better!!!

[NoSaint]

15 hours ago, eball said:

 

First of all, RIP to that young man.  Way, way too young.

 

Second, I agree with you.  Marrone just ruined him.  EJ’s psyche needed a coach like Sean Payton or Andy Reid, and he got a douchebag instead.

 

That’s not an excuse for EJ, but it is an explanation.  Different guys need different buttons pushed to reach their potential.  The Bills failed EJ, and EJ didn’t have the mental makeup to overcome it.

 

I’ve always said that I’m not sure where his ceiling was but the team actively got in the way of him reaching it.

 

Hackett as not just a rookie OC but no QB coach either?

 

doug in general?

 

I don’t think he was going to be the answer but he’s one of those guys that I’ll wonder if he could’ve been a bit more. Say a guy that could carve out a career somewhere between say tyrod Taylor and jimmy g status if he had been a day two pick in a good situation.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

6 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

I only barely remember him as a Bill.  I guess I can forgive myself - he only had 8 receptions.  He was good his first three years in the NFL with Tampa and then his career fell off a cliff.  Someone remind me, what happened?  

 

In any case, prayers to his family.  Very sad.  

RIP.  

I actually didn’t think he even played any snaps with us. But I remember him in Tampa. 
 

I will say it was always hard to keep track of all the “mike Williams”, as that has to be the most common name for NFL wide receivers. 

[NoSaint]

2 hours ago, Matt_In_NH said:

Earning a living is sad?   

no but sacrificing your body for generational wealth and then losing that retirement money and having to go back to the grind in a tough labor role is a bit of a bummer, no? 
 

I hand you $15m today and in 2030 you are working construction and I think we can both agree it’s not one of the outcomes you’d be most happy to see. 

[PromoTheRobot]

4 hours ago, NewEra said:

 

We’ll that would be great news if true

 

Only if he can get back to a semblance of a normal life.

[AuntieEm]

On 9/5/2023 at 10:23 PM, HomeTeam said:

Jesus man, the thought that these guys have to work in a construction site after playing football professionally is saddening. 

 

May he rest in peace 😔

 

Well those that didn't set aside any of their nfl money have to work.  Gronk was smart he banked invested his nfl money and just lived on the money he got with endorsements.   For all the talk about Diggs yearning for strip clubs...   anyone else see his Instagram post in offseason where he was fixing his daughters hair like a pro.  Think he has different priorities than  strip clubs.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

So many crazy reports. 
 

 

[Royale with Cheese]

I mean this is amazing.  

[AuntieEm]

23 hours ago, That's No Moon said:

Every single college athlete should be required to take a class in finance during their freshman year. Most high schools don't , or at least don't require it, and if you don't come from background where you can acquire that knowledge informally it's really easy to blow through that amount of money in a short period of time. Without even thinking about it, reduce that 15 million figure by at least 50%. Then get into his agent's fee, his lawyer, any houses, cars, jewelry, business ventures, loans and gifts to friends, etc.  Hell, it's downright easy to spend 7.5 million over a 10 year span.

 

Yea. I think every agent should be setting up a proper financial plan for the v player to set aside a percent a ge in trust for that players future housing needs plus a small allowance for food and utilities.  Easy to afford a acceptable modest home with the money they earn in  nfl.  While 0laying they can even rent out the home for extra money in their trust.  If they have a 2nd career in whatever interests them then the trust is still getting income from his house if he does not need it. Maybe prefers a apartment. 

 

 

 

59 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

So many crazy reports. 
 

 

 

Think they mixing up a couple different Mike Williams.  

 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by AuntieEm

[Simon]

From CBS:

 

Williams, 36, had been working in Hillsborough County when he was injured last week, according to the mother of his 8-year-old daughter, Tierney Lyle. The former NFL player was mostly nonresponsive when visited Wednesday afternoon, and while the plan is reportedly for Williams to be removed from life support in the ICU, that has yet to occur.

"They were waiting on me and Tierney ," Lyle said. "We're here and still trying to figure it out.

"He was asleep when we went in there and he woke up when he heard our voices and his daughter's voice. And he looked around, and he blinked and he was crying, but he can't move."

[Matt_In_NH]

7 hours ago, NoSaint said:

no but sacrificing your body for generational wealth and then losing that retirement money and having to go back to the grind in a tough labor role is a bit of a bummer, no? 
 

I hand you $15m today and in 2030 you are working construction and I think we can both agree it’s not one of the outcomes you’d be most happy to see. 

I had forgotten about the big contract but he earned 11.8M in the nfl which is more than I was thinking but it’s also not that hard to squander when you have no clue.  He could have beeen set up reasonably well 

[John from Riverside]

34 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

I had forgotten about the big contract but he earned 11.8M in the nfl which is more than I was thinking but it’s also not that hard to squander when you have no clue.  He could have beeen set up reasonably well 

Financial planning is a must for a professional athlete
 

Or a mama that they listen to

[EasternOHBillsFan]

So if he's not dead and almost completely paralyzed (below the waist and right arm), how is that living? Personally I would not want to be alive if that happened to me, period. I simply cannot process this update going from dead to almost complete paralysis it makes me so sick and is extremely heavy on my soul after finding this out. 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/report-former-nfl-wide-receiver-mike-williams-suffered-complete-paralysis-from-waist-down-from-life-threatening-accident/ar-AA1glN0B

[juno999]

2 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

Financial planning is a must for a professional athlete
 

Or a mama that they listen to

Financial planning is must for everyone

[HOUSE]

If this guy is on life support, I would think a Go fund would be in order

[RoyBatty is alive]

18 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

If this guy is on life support, I would think a Go fund would be in order

there ALREADY IS ONE

Edited September 7, 2023 by RoyBatty is alive

[NoSaint]

14 hours ago, AuntieEm said:

 

Well those that didn't set aside any of their nfl money have to work.  Gronk was smart he banked invested his nfl money and just lived on the money he got with endorsements.   For all the talk about Diggs yearning for strip clubs...   anyone else see his Instagram post in offseason where he was fixing his daughters hair like a pro.  Think he has different priorities than  strip clubs.

I think those two sides of him very clearly co-exist but it’s a strange strange place for that discussion. 

4 hours ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

So if he's not dead and almost completely paralyzed (below the waist and right arm), how is that living? Personally I would not want to be alive if that happened to me, period. I simply cannot process this update going from dead to almost complete paralysis it makes me so sick and is extremely heavy on my soul after finding this out. 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/report-former-nfl-wide-receiver-mike-williams-suffered-complete-paralysis-from-waist-down-from-life-threatening-accident/ar-AA1glN0B

He could still have a wheelchair to get around controlled by his good arm. 
 

it’s certainly not ideal but I think a lot of folks would rather be around still. Big moments with their kids, etc… is a lot of incentive to struggle through the care needed. 

[Shortchaz]

4 hours ago, EasternOHBillsFan said:

So if he's not dead and almost completely paralyzed (below the waist and right arm), how is that living? Personally I would not want to be alive if that happened to me, period. I simply cannot process this update going from dead to almost complete paralysis it makes me so sick and is extremely heavy on my soul after finding this out. 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/report-former-nfl-wide-receiver-mike-williams-suffered-complete-paralysis-from-waist-down-from-life-threatening-accident/ar-AA1glN0B

There’s an old study that compares the level of happiness in accident victims and people who win the lottery. If you don’t think you could have a happy/productive life as a paralyzed person it’s because you don’t have to. If you did, you could. 
 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/690806/

[PetermansRedemption]

8 hours ago, Matt_In_NH said:

I had forgotten about the big contract but he earned 11.8M in the nfl which is more than I was thinking but it’s also not that hard to squander when you have no clue.  He could have beeen set up reasonably well 

Exceptionally well*. He could have earned 360k per year in interest alone on 6 million of those career earnings. That doesn’t even count the fact that he would still have the principal. That’s assuming he paid 6 million to taxes, agent, squandered a reasonable amount on garbage. 

[Mr. WEO]

On 9/5/2023 at 10:23 PM, HomeTeam said:

Jesus man, the thought that these guys have to work in a construction site after playing football professionally is saddening. 

 

 

 

That's the sad part?  The mere thought of it?

 

What if you work construction without having played pro football (nearly everyone in construction)? Should those people feel better or worse after reading your comment?

[Matt_In_NH]

22 minutes ago, PetermansRedemption said:

Exceptionally well*. He could have earned 360k per year in interest alone on 6 million of those career earnings. That doesn’t even count the fact that he would still have the principal. That’s assuming he paid 6 million to taxes, agent, squandered a reasonable amount on garbage. 

COuld have earned plenty in the market....where woudl he have gotten better than 5% interest the last 15 years?  

[PetermansRedemption]

2 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

COuld have earned plenty in the market....where woudl he have gotten better than 5% interest the last 15 years?  

A bit of hyperbole on my part. I should have said 4%, which I’m sure would have been attainable with well paying dividend stocks. 

[HomeTeam]

6 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

That's the sad part?  The mere thought of it?

 

What if you work construction without having played pro football (nearly everyone in construction)? Should those people feel better or worse after reading your comment?

I work in construction xD

[Simon]

A bit more info on Mike WIlliams:

 

Two people close to Williams said his on-the-job accident was not initially thought to be life-threatening. He was hit in the head with a beam while doing electrical work on Aug. 21, a friend said, but his situation took a turn when his laceration became infected. Williams was hospitalized on Sept. 1 and eventually had to be induced him into a coma.

 

Williams, 36, had been on life support this week after suffering complications from a workplace accident. He was taken off a ventilator Thursday evening but is surviving and remains responsive, according to Tierney Lyle, the mother of Williams’ 8-year-old daughter.

 

Link to WIVB article

 

 

[MJS]

On 9/7/2023 at 7:45 AM, EasternOHBillsFan said:

So if he's not dead and almost completely paralyzed (below the waist and right arm), how is that living? Personally I would not want to be alive if that happened to me, period. I simply cannot process this update going from dead to almost complete paralysis it makes me so sick and is extremely heavy on my soul after finding this out. 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/report-former-nfl-wide-receiver-mike-williams-suffered-complete-paralysis-from-waist-down-from-life-threatening-accident/ar-AA1glN0B

It does require a shift in perspective and self identity, for sure, and that would probably be even more pronounced for a former pro athlete. I'm sure a big part of his identity is rooted in his athleticism and physical strength.

 

But people can make that shift and find happiness even in the face of tremendous physical adversity, and part of that comes from the realization that you are more than your physical body and physical abilities. You have value in many other areas.

 

Christopher Reeve is a good example. He accomplished a lot after his accident and even continued acting.