Former NFL receiver Mike Williams dies at age 36 after more than a week in intensive care
After more than a week in intensive care due to injuries suffered in a construction accident, former NFL wide receiver Mike Williams has died.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers confirmed that the Buffalo native died Tuesday morning. He was 36.
Williams had been hospitalized in Tampa following the Sept. 1 accident that left him partially paralyzed.
"He will be missed. He fought hard his whole life. Prayers to his family," his agent Hadley Engelhard told NFL.com.
Williams was selected in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Buccaneers after a stellar college career at Syracuse, where he caught 133 passes – 20 of them for touchdowns − in three seasons.
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As a rookie in 2010, he finished second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year balloting to Rams quarterback Sam Bradford after tallying 65 receptions for a team-leading 964 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Williams went on to play four seasons with the Bucs before he was traded to his hometown Buffalo Bills prior to the 2014 season, which was his last in the NFL.
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He was scheduled to serve a six-game suspension in 2015, but sat out the entire season as a free agent. The following year, he was on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad, but never played in a regular-season game.
For his career, Williams caught 223 passes for 3,089 yards and 26 touchdowns.