Amidst the news that the Detroit Police Department has submitted a request warrant for Jameson Williams to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Officer over an incident involving a handgun on October 8, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell again defended the character of the former first-round pick.
“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,” Campbell said. “So, he’s going to learn from this, he’s going to grow, he’ll be better for all of this.”
Williams was nearly arrested three weeks ago for possessing a handgun in his brother’s car. The gun was properly registered in his name, but he had failed to acquire a Concealed Pistol License (CPL). His brother, the driver of the vehicle, also had a gun and was in possession of the appropriate CPL.
During the traffic stop, Williams and his brother disclosed they both had guns in the car—one in the backseat, one under Williams’ seat—and after some discussion, he was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police cruiser. However, after superior officers appeared on scene, the police eventually let him go without a charge. A recent investigation from WXYZ in Detroit, however, prompted the Detroit Police Department to do an internal investigation and subsequently offer the request warrant.
“This investigation continues to evolve, and new information has come to light that we are actively addressing,” the Detroit Police Department said in a statement Tuesday night. “We take every investigation seriously, especially when new allegations and facts emerge, and we are committed to acting in a swift and transparent manner. Once new facts are confirmed, we make the necessary changes in our decision-making process. Let it be clear: No one in the City of Detroit is above the law. Anyone who commits a crime will be held accountable, regardless of their position or status.”
Punishment from the police and the NFL are still on the table.
Williams has since hired representation, and his attorney, Todd Flood, offered the following statement, suggesting the CPL in Williams’ brother’s name legally covers both guns.
“On October 8, my clients were pulled over for an alleged traffic violation. During the course of the stop, my clients were both cooperative and respectful with the police officers. With the two pistols that were found in the vehicle, they were both properly registered and the driver in the vehicle had the proper credentials to carry them. We have cooperated with law enforcement and will continue to do so.”
Campbell said that Williams was transparent and truthful about the incident, immediately disclosing it to the team.
This is now the third off-field incident involving Williams in just over a year. In 2023, he served a four-game suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy, he’s currently serving a two-game suspension for violating the league’s Performance Enhancing Substances policy, and now this incident involving a firearm is looming. The running theme in these incidents seems to be a lack of attention to detail in the rules, both in the NFL and in life.
Campbell says they’ll do their best to continue to make sure Williams is getting all the information he needs to know. And he doesn’t view this recent string of events as a lack of growth.
“It certainly doesn’t look good, I get that, but at the same token, it just kind of all came on here at the same time and it’s really decision-making for him,” Campbell said. “And that’s where he knows that he can be better. Don’t put yourself in those situations. He’s going to learn from this, grow from it. We’ve talked about it, and I still think there’s been a ton of growth out of this player.”
As of now, Williams has served one of the two games for his latest suspension. The league put out a statement that the Lions have kept them aware of the latest gun incident, but they have no further statement at this time. The NFL is not likely to act until Williams has gone through the full legal process.
Be the first to comment