Lions WR Jameson Williams spoke to the media for the first time since the gun story broke and his PES suspension.
Detroit Lions receiver Jameson Williams returned to practice this week after serving a two-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy. While serving his suspension, news broke that he was briefly taken into police custody in early October after being found during a traffic stop with a gun that was registered in his name but Williams didn’t have the proper concealed pistol license.
On Wednesday, Williams talked with the media for the first time since both incidents were made public. The Lions receiver did not speak on the specifics of either incident, but he did share what he has learned over the last month.
“Just to be smarter, I guess,” Williams said. “Move smarter. Be a bigger person in certain situations and things like that.”
Since the gun incident, the Detroit Police Department has opened an internal investigation into why Williams was not kept in custody and no files were charged. They’ve also sent a warrant request to the county prosecutor’s office. At this point, it’s unclear if Williams will eventually face charges.
Williams has had a turbulent three seasons with the Lions. As expected, he missed most of his rookie season with an ACL injury suffered in college, but his return to the field was met with inconsistencies, dropped passes, and mental errors. Just when it looked like he had turned a corner, he was hit with a six-game suspension (later reduced to four) for violating the league’s gambling policy prior to the 2023 season.
Everything seemed behind him in 2024 and his third season got off to a hot start, pulling in 365 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his first five games. He received constant praise from coaches and teammates about how much better he looked and the hard work he’s put in.
Even with the hurdles arriving yet again this season, Detroit’s support of Williams has not wavered.
“For me, I judge people over what’s in their heart and I know what this kid’s made of and he’s worth hanging with,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said last week. “So, he’s going to learn from this, he’s going to grow, he’ll be better for all of this.”
And Williams isn’t taking that for granted.
“It meant a lot. That’s my head coach, and I’ve been through a lot playing under him,” Williams said. “We bumped heads in certain situations, but now I see faith in me. He understands what happened and things like that. It’s big, him having faith in me.”
As for the judgmental public, Williams has made peace with that. He’s confident in his own character and knows people will say what they will regardless of what he says. So when asked if he had any message for fans out there, he essentially passed.
“I wouldn’t really say I have a message,” Williams said. “People view me how they view me, I’m my own person.”
Now it’s all about football again. While Williams had to stay off the practice field during his suspension, he was allowed to stay in the facility. So he was still training, working, and even being active in team meetings. And the team is confident now that the suspension is lifted, he’ll pick up right where he left off.
“We’re going to kick him out there with the offense and get him going,” Campbell said. “And I expect him to be ready to roll.”
