Philadelphia Eagles cut 51-year-old Bernard Williams: 'I had no idea I was still on the roster'
File this under the category of strange transaction. The Eagles waived offensive lineman Bernard Williams. Names cross the NFL wire every day. So what was so unusual about this?
Well, Williams is 51 and last played for the Eagles on Christmas Eve, 1994. In fact, he hasn’t played in the NFL since then. He and the league got cross ways because Williams tested positive for marijuana in his system in 1995. He then tested positive during his suspension, which cost him the season. This was back when a positive result for pot could ruin your career.
And Williams could’ve been really good in the league. The Eagles picked the former Georgia star with the 14th pick of the 1994 NFL Draft. He started every game his rookie year. So he was an obvious pick for the all-rookie teams. But his career remained suspended for decades. Basically, he was treading water in the NFL’s version of the Bermuda Triangle. He never asked to be reactivated and the Eagles apparently never filed the paperwork to turn him loose.
He finished off his football career with stints in the Canadian Football League, along with the XFL and Arena League. His last season was in 2004 with the Toronto Argonauts.
But his name crossing the NFL transaction wire caused a few to scratch their heads. Williams said he believes it’s because he recently filed for some NFL benefits. He told a reporter from InsideTheBirds.com that a former player whom he coached in high school called to let him know about getting waived. The ex player now is a scout with the Packers.
“I had some kind of idea, but they never released me,” Williams said. “And I always wondered what happened with that. When I went to Canada, the Eagles kept my rights through all of that. They never released my rights. But I had no idea that I was still on the roster 29 years later.”
An Eagles spokesman told NBC Sports Philadelphia that the league recently contacted the team. Apparently, the NFL was clearing out some old reserve lists and discovered Williams’ name. All this time, Williams, at least technically, was still with the Eagles.
Philadelphia didn’t take another Georgia Bulldog in the first round until 2023 with Jordan Davis. The Eagles added two more Georgia first rounders in April with Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith.
And Williams said he’s still a big fan of both the Eagles and Bulldogs.
“People ask me all the time, ‘Who’s your team?’ I’m gonna always be an Eagles guy because the Eagles chose me.” Williams said. “I’ve only been to one game since I left there. I came to see my nephew play for the Chiefs … they played the Eagles back when Mike Vick was there. That was the last Eagles game I’ve been to. You know, you gotta lot of Georgia guys on the team … Nakobe, [Jordan] Davis, you got Nolan Smith on the team. So, I’m a [Bulldog] fan and an Eagles fan. I’m definitely happy about both of their situations right now.”