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Boo Williams
Boo Williams
Boo Williams
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Eddie Lee "Boo" Williams (born June 22, 1979) is an American former professional football tight end who played for the New Orleans Saints from 2001 to 2004. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks as a wide receiver.

Key Information

College career

[edit]

Williams played two seasons at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, where he was a two-time All-American catching 83 passes for 1,687 yards and 21 touchdowns as a split end wide receiver. He then transferred to the University of Arkansas for the 1999 and 2000 seasons where he caught 80 receptions for 1,123 yards and 11 touchdowns.[1]

Professional career

[edit]
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 4 in
(1.93 m)		 237 lb
(108 kg)		 4.72 s 1.63 s 2.73 s 4.33 s 7.10 s 35+1⁄2 in
(0.90 m)		 9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)
Measurables are from the 2001 NFL Scouting Combine.[2]

New Orleans Saints

[edit]

Williams was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints on April 26, 2001 and soon began a conversion to the tight end position. Waived in September, then signed off the practice squad on October 27, he played in his first NFL game October 28 and made his first start the following week. He finished his first NFL season with 20 receptions for 202 yards and 3 touchdowns.[1]

Williams was the top pass-catching tight end for the Saints in 2002 with 13 receptions for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns.[1] The following year he set career highs with 41 catches for 436 yards and 5 touchdowns, leading the NFC in touchdowns among tight ends.[1] In 2004 Williams started a career-high 8 games.[1]

Williams tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee during a 2005 preseason game and did not play the entire year. He was released by the Saints in February 2006.[3]

New York Giants

[edit]

Williams was signed by the New York Giants in June 2006 but waived before the regular season began.[3][4]

Kansas City Brigade

[edit]

On January 19, 2007, Williams signed with the Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League. On March 3, 2008, he was placed on recallable waivers by the Brigade.[5]

NFL career statistics

[edit]
Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Tgt Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
2001 NOR 11 4 42 20 202 10.1 26 3
2002 NOR 16 3 31 13 143 11.0 32 2
2003 NOR 16 6 62 41 436 10.6 31 5
2004 NOR 16 7 75 33 362 11.0 22 2
59 20 210 107 1,143 10.7 32 12

Life after football

[edit]

Williams struggled with a multitude of depression, anger, and anxiety issues after retiring from football, the cause of which he attributes to head trauma sustained during his NFL career. After nearly taking his own life in 2011, Williams spent four months at the Crosby Center in San Diego for diagnosis and treatment of the problems he was suffering from. Williams later worked with the Crosby Center to help other NFL players dealing with similar issues post-retirement.[6][7]

Williams uses cannabis to treat the chronic pain and neurological problems that have resulted from his football career.[8] As a member of the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition he has been active in speaking about his experience using cannabis as medicine and advocating for the NFL to change its policy.[9][10]

Williams founded the Boo Williams Athletic Academy, an after-school program providing academic and athletic activities for children to engage in.[7] He has also worked as a bounty hunter and appeared in two episodes of the reality TV show Dog and Beth: On the Hunt.[11]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Boo Williams

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Marcellus Spencer "Boo" Williams Jr. (born 1959) is an American former player and influential youth basketball coach from , widely recognized for founding and leading AAU programs that have developed elite talent. Williams starred at before playing forward at from 1977 to 1981, where he averaged double-digit points each season and tallied 1,554 career points, ranking 14th in program history; he was later inducted into the Hawks' Hall of Fame. In 1982, inspired by Philadelphia youth leagues, he established the Boo Williams Summer League with an initial investment of $400 and 46 participants, expanding it into a premier AAU organization that has won multiple Peach Jam national championships and produced numerous NBA professionals. As National Chair for AAU Boys and Girls Basketball and a member of developmental committees for USA Basketball and the ABA, Williams has been described as one of the most powerful figures in American youth basketball outside collegiate or agency circles. His efforts include the Boo Williams Sportsplex, a multi-court facility in Hampton dedicated to youth sports, and he received the Walt Disney World Wide Sports Volunteer of the Year award in 2001. While AAU basketball broadly faces criticism for emphasizing tournaments over skill fundamentals, Williams' programs have been cited as exceptions prioritizing player growth amid the system's commercialization.

Early life

Childhood and family background

Eddie Lee "Boo" Williams was born on June 22, 1979, in Tallahassee, Florida. He attended Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, where he lettered in football for three years and, as a senior, recorded 35 receptions for 700 yards and 15 touchdowns. Williams grew up in before pursuing higher education out of state.

College career

University of Arkansas

Williams transferred to the from ahead of the 1999 season, where he had previously played for two years. As a junior in 1999, Williams appeared in eight games for the Razorbacks, recording 28 receptions for 384 receiving yards and four touchdowns. In his senior year of 2000, Williams emerged as the team's leading receiver, hauling in 52 passes for 739 yards and seven touchdowns over 11 games. His 52 receptions ranked 10th in program single-season history, while his seven touchdown receptions tied for eighth; the 739 yards tied for 18th all-time at Arkansas. Williams achieved two 100-yard receiving games that season, including a career-high 171 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions against Boise State. Over two seasons with the Razorbacks, Williams totaled 80 receptions for 1,123 yards and 11 touchdowns, with his 11 career receiving scores tying for 15th in school history. He started as a but later transitioned to in the after going undrafted in 2001.

Professional football career

New Orleans Saints

Williams signed with the as an undrafted on April 26, 2001, following his college career at the where he played . The Saints converted him to , during which he added about 30 pounds to his frame to adapt to the position's blocking and inline requirements. Over five seasons (2001–2005), Williams appeared in 50 games for the Saints, starting 20, and established himself as a reliable red-zone target with sure hands. He recorded 107 receptions for 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns, contributing primarily as a pass-catching in an offense that featured quarterbacks like Brooks and . His most productive year came in 2003, when he achieved a career-high 110 scrimmage yards in a 33–20 loss to the on November 23. On January 22, 2004, Williams agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Saints, securing his role amid the team's push for playoff contention. He departed the Saints as a after the 2005 season, having earned roughly $2 million in career earnings up to that point, including an initial rookie salary of about $200,000.

New York Giants

Williams signed with the as an unrestricted on June 8, 2006, following his release by the in February 2006 after suffering a torn during the 2005 preseason. The signing came amid the Giants' efforts to bolster their depth, with Williams bringing prior experience of 107 receptions for 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns over 59 games, all with the Saints from 2001 to 2004. However, he did not record any statistics or appear in regular-season games during training camp or preseason contests. The Giants waived him on August 29, 2006, as part of final roster cuts before the regular season. This marked the end of his brief association with the team, after which he transitioned to the .

Kansas City Brigade

Williams signed with the Kansas City of the prior to the 2007 season, transitioning from his NFL experience to the indoor league format. In 2007, he established himself as a key for the Brigade, appearing in multiple games and leading the team in scoring production. Williams recorded 45 receptions for 473 receiving yards and 17 receiving , contributing significantly to the Brigade's offensive output during a season that saw the team compete in the AFL's Central Division. His touchdown total ranked among the league's higher marks for wide receivers that year, with notable performances including three receiving touchdowns in a 52-41 victory over the Grand Rapids Rampage on April 14, 2007. Additionally, in a 60-41 win against the , Williams earned Ironman of the Game honors for his all-around contributions, which included offensive plays alongside defensive efforts totaling 10 tackles across the season. Williams returned to the Brigade in 2008 but had a diminished role, appearing in only one game with minimal statistical impact before being placed on recallable waivers. His brief AFL stint with Kansas City highlighted his versatility as a big-bodied receiver capable of high-volume scoring in the confined environment, though injuries and roster dynamics limited his overall tenure.

Career statistics

NFL receiving and scoring statistics

Boo Williams appeared in 52 regular-season games over four NFL seasons (2001–2004), all with the as a , recording 107 receptions for 1,143 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. His receiving touchdowns accounted for all of his NFL scoring, totaling 72 points (6 points per touchdown). Williams signed with the in June 2006 following an ACL injury that caused him to miss the 2005 season, but he did not appear in any games for the team and recorded no statistics. The following table summarizes Williams' NFL regular-season receiving statistics by year:
YearTeamGamesReceptionsYardsAverageLongestTouchdowns
2001NO112020210.1—2
2002NO161314311.0322
2003NO164143610.6315
2004NO93336211.0—3
Career521071,14310.73212
Note: Averages are yards per reception; longest receptions are noted where available from game logs. Data excludes any preseason or practice squad activity. Williams' most productive season was , when he set personal bests in receptions, yards, and touchdowns while serving as a key pass-catching option in the Saints' offense.

Arena Football League statistics

Williams signed with the Kansas City of the on January 19, 2007, and played for the team during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. His AFL career totals, accumulated solely with the Brigade, consist of 45 receptions for 473 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns, derived from aggregate professional receiving statistics excluding his performance.
YearTeamGRecYdsAvgLgTD
2007KC-----18*
2008KC------
Career--4547310.5-17
*Team-leading receiving touchdowns in 2007 . Detailed per-game or per-season breakdowns beyond touchdowns are not comprehensively documented in available professional databases, reflecting the Brigade's overall poor performance (10-6 in 2007 playoffs, 3-13 in 2008).

Post-retirement challenges and activities

Physical health and injury aftermath

Following his release from the in February 2006 after tearing his (ACL) during the 2005 season, Boo Williams experienced long-term physical complications from injuries accumulated during his professional football career. The ACL tear, which sidelined him for the entire year, contributed to mobility limitations and joint instability in his knee, though chronic has not been as prominently documented as other issues in his post-career medical evaluations. Williams has reported persistent stemming from repetitive trauma as a , including blocking and tackling impacts that compressed his cervical spine. This manifests as sharp pain radiating down his neck and into his shoulders, alongside debilitating headaches, which he attributes to head and neck collisions sustained over four NFL seasons from 2001 to 2005. assessments, including scans, neurological exams, and MRIs obtained in the years following his retirement, have confirmed structural damage in his neck and evidence of neurological impairment linked to these symptoms. Despite these findings, Williams has been unable to access recommended cervical or ongoing due to financial constraints and denials from the NFL's disability program for his neck and shoulder conditions. The cumulative effect of these injuries has severely limited Williams' daily functionality, preventing him from engaging in physically demanding work and exacerbating his reliance on limited resources for basic medical care as of 2023. He has advocated for former players facing similar spinal and head trauma outcomes, drawing from personal experience with concussions and other contact-related injuries that produce chronic physical symptoms like his.

Mental health struggles

Following his retirement from professional football in the mid-2000s, Boo Williams experienced severe post-career depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, which he attributed to the abrupt transition from the structured life of an athlete and the lack of emotional support systems. These symptoms intensified around 2011, when Williams nearly attempted suicide and subsequently entered a four-month rehabilitation program at the Crosby Center in San Diego, California, focusing on mental health recovery. Williams has described his mental health decline as stemming from isolation, financial instability, and unaddressed emotional trauma from his playing days, including repeated concussions that he believes contributed to cognitive and mood disturbances. By his own account in interviews, the depression manifested in persistent hopelessness and , leading him to self-medicate initially with alcohol and later , which he credits with stabilizing his condition after traditional counseling proved insufficient. As of 2023, Williams continued to report ongoing battles with depression intertwined with from football-related injuries, exacerbating his mental state and complicating access to care through denied . Despite these challenges, he has channeled his experiences into advocacy, speaking publicly about the prevalence of issues among retired players to encourage seeking help via resources like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Dispute with NFL disability program

Williams sought from the Player Disability and Neurocognitive Benefit Plan following the expiration of his post-retirement in 2012, after five years of coverage as provided under retiree policies. His applications cited chronic neck and shoulder pain stemming from injuries sustained during his career, including time with the from 2001 to 2005, which impaired his ability to work and required ongoing medical intervention such as surgery, medications, and specialist care. The plan denied his initial and subsequent applications over a period spanning approximately 14 to 15 years, with one rejection based on an evaluation by a plan-appointed orthopedic specialist who determined Williams retained the capacity for sedentary employment despite his reported symptoms. Williams provided supporting documentation including reports, scans, and neurological exams to substantiate his claims of total and permanent , but the bureaucratic process involved extensive appeals, legal navigation, and repeated denials that left him unable to afford necessary treatments. In early 2023, the plan approved his claim, granting monthly benefits of $5,000, from which Williams had received approximately $45,000 by November of that year, enabling him to rent housing but insufficient for other essentials like a or comprehensive care. He contended that the award underrepresented his entitlements, estimating back payments and full compensation at $500,000 or more, reflecting the protracted denial period. Williams publicly criticized the program as "unfair and biased," asserting that its structure prioritized denial over player welfare and failed to adequately address football-related impairments, a sentiment echoed amid ongoing class-action litigation against the and the plan alleging breaches of duty and wrongful benefit denials. His case highlighted systemic challenges faced by retired players, including opaque evaluation criteria and limited recourse, though the plan maintained its decisions aligned with plan terms requiring proof of inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity.

Community involvement and recovery efforts

Following his recovery from severe depression and a in 2010, Williams founded the Boo Beary Kares Foundation, which provides assistance to homeless individuals and underprivileged communities, including support for basic needs and recovery programs. The foundation reflects his commitment to service, drawing from his personal experiences with trauma and rehabilitation, where he credits as a key tool in managing symptoms from repeated concussions sustained during his career. Williams has advocated for policy changes in the to permit use for and recovery among players, collaborating with groups like the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition to highlight its potential benefits based on his own usage post-rehab. He works with advocacy centers to support former contact-sport athletes dealing with , emphasizing access to alternative treatments amid ongoing debates over protocols. In response to in 2018, Williams contributed to community recovery in Florida's Panhandle by participating in efforts to construct a multi-unit retreat center using materials in Youngstown, aimed at providing temporary housing for displaced residents. This project aligned with his promotion of sustainable building practices tied to cannabis-derived materials, though its completion status remains tied to local funding and regulatory hurdles as of 2019 reports. Additionally, he has partnered with wellness facilities like The Color Gallery to offer specialized services for active and retired professional athletes, focusing on holistic recovery from sports-related injuries.

References

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  30. https://www.patriots.com/news/giants-ink-te-boo-williams-95656
  31. https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/2014/4/13/5609658/most-hated-saints-person-vaughn-dunbar-boo-williams
  32. https://www.blackenterprise.com/former-new-orleans-saints-tight-end-boo-williams-calls-out-nfl-disability-program/
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  42. https://communitynewspapers.com/cannabis/nfl-veteran-boo-williams-saving-lives-and-changing-minds/
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  44. https://www.mypanhandle.com/sports/local-sports/ex-nfl-player-boo-williams-giving-back-to-panhandle/
  45. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43O8bmhr2j8
  46. https://www.thecolorgallery.org/professionalathletes
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