Bernard Williams, who was suspended from the Philadelphia Eagles in October 1995 for marijuana and never again played another NFL snap, was finally released from the roster when the NFL brought his status to the Eagles’ attention.
He wasn’t getting paid, and he wasn’t earning pension time.
Williams, 51, can now be claimed by any other team.
He might own the NFL record for longest-tenured player.
I think Lurie ought to have given him a Super Bowl ring in February 2018. It would have been good PR.
Lurie didn’t know he was in the roster in 2018. It would have been interesting to know why the guy never applied for reinstatement.
Aren’t there roster size limits? Did no one notice he was taking up space on that?
There are, but players suspended by the NFL don’t count towards them.
Almost certainly, there was the thought that the Eagles would use him after his suspension ended, and thus never released him. However, Williams never applied for reinstatement, thus never came off suspension. Eventually, everyone forgot about it.
I wonder how many times it got him laid over the years?
“Yeah, Bady! I’m a Professional Football Player!”
Because he was high?
I was gonna apply to be reinstated until I got high
I was feeling pretty motivated but then I got high
I’m still on the Eagles and I know why…