With the Detroit Lions clinging to a late lead and trying to hold off a rally from the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving, wide receiver Jameson Williams made a mistake that could have cost his team dearly.
After making a fourth-quarter catch, Williams flipped the ball at Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson as the two shared words near the sideline. Officials flagged Williams for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and the drive ended with a missed field goal by kicker Jake Bates.
The Lions were able to hold on for a 23-20 win as the Bears ran out of time on their final drive, and Williams owned up to his mistake after the game.
Jameson Williams Took Responsibility After Losing His Cool
Lions quarterback Jared Goff said Williams took responsibility for his penalty, apologizing to his teammates after the game. Goff said he was impressed with the way the third-year wide receiver immediately owned up for losing his cool.
“I know that was a mistake by him, but I’m proud of him the way he handled it,” Goff said, via MLive.com. “He stood up and took responsibility. We’ll move on.”
Williams recognized that his penalty was unacceptable, especially given the circumstances. After taking a 16-0 lead into halftime, the Lions saw the Bears claw back in the second half to pull within three points late in the fourth quarter. The Lions were driving with hopes of regaining a two-score lead when Williams’ penalty pushed them back.
“We’re trying to win a football game, so those things like that can’t happen,” Williams told reporters after the game. “That’s the main thing.”
Jameson Williams Faced Maturity Questions
This is not the first time that Williams hurt his team with a personal mistake. After a rookie year where he missed significant time while rehabbing a torn ACL, Williams missed the first four games of his second season after being suspended for violating the league’s rules against gambling.
Williams returned and showed steady improvement last season and into this year, but was suspended again this season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug rules. He missed two games, but kept the faith of the coaching staff. Head coach Dan Campbell said he hoped the suspension would be a learning opportunity for Williams.
“I think any time you don’t get to play this game, I think you’ll always reflect, and it helps you look at it (from) a different vantage point. It hurts, man, it hurts not to play,” Campbell said, via SI.com. “When you don’t have anybody to blame but yourself, it makes you look at yourself a little bit harder. And so, he’ll be fine, I really believe that, and I do believe he’ll learn from it. He was just out there at our walkthrough we had, man, he’s locked in, ready to go. I think he’s gonna come right out of this, on top.”
Williams shared his appreciation for Campbell’s faith in him.
“It means a lot. That’s my head coach. I’ve been through a lot playing under him,” Williams said. “We’ve been through, we’ve bumped heads in certain situations, but now I see his faith in me and all. He understands what happened and things like that. So, it’s big to me, him having faith in me and being along with me in those situations.”
