Retired NFL wide receiver Mike Williams remains on life support in a Tampa hospital following a construction accident last week, the mother of his daughter told the Tampa Bay Times.
Several media outlets reported that Williams, 36, had died. But Tierney Lyle told the Times she took their daughter to see him Wednesday afternoon. She said Williams remains mostly unresponsive and the family continues to mull the next steps.
A GoFundMe page linked to Williams’ father said the former wide receiver for Tampa Bay and Buffalo suffered massive injuries at a construction site when a steel beam fell on his head.
“As a result of this accident, Wendell Muhammad wrote, “there was swelling on (my son’s) brain and swelling on his spinal cord that was ruptured. These injuries resulted in complete paralysis in his right arm as well as his lower body from the waist down.”
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Williams passed out on Sept. 1 after suffering from “severe breathing problems,” his father wrote. Doctors discovered water in his lungs after he was transported to the intensive care unit.
Williams attended Syracuse University and, as a true freshman, led the team in receiving yards in 2006, with 461.
Following his college career, Tampa Bay selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. He made an immediate impact when, as a rookie, he led the team with 11 touchdowns. He snared 65 passes for 964 receiving yards, leading the team.
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Williams played the 2014 season in Buffalo, but the team waived him after he suffered a calf injury. He never played in another NFL regular season game.
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