Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams indicated during an interview on Monday that he wasn’t too upset that the team told him he would be released. Instead, Williams chose to focus on how he perceived the organization treated the death of his mother.
In an exclusive interview with Charlotte’s WBTV, Williams said that Panthers’ defensive end Greg Hardy was the only member of the organization to attend his mom’s funeral. Williams’ mother passed away last May.
Further elaborating, Williams had this to say (h/t ESPN.com).
One player came (to the funeral). And there is nothing that he can say or do in my eyes that is bad…Greg Hardy. All the players around the league, all the players in the locker room, they texted and called. But Greg Hardy showed up.
Coach Rivera said, ‘I’m sorry to hear that,'” Williams said. “And right after that, Dave Gettleman called. He was like, ‘Man, we’re praying for you.’ I was like, ‘I really appreciated it. Thank you so much.’
“That was it. That was it. Nobody came to the funeral.
For Williams, it seemed to hurt more than anything else.
It stung to know that a place of business that you work for and that you’ve bled and played through injuries, you did everything you possibly can for this organization to be successful, and then upon your darkest hour they let you handle it by yourself.”
Williams’ mother, who passed away from breast cancer, was a central figure in the Panthers activism regarding the disease up until her death.
Regarding Williams’ release, he said coach Ron Rivera and general manager Dave Gettleman informed him of this last week.
However, the Panthers claim that Williams has not been officially released and did not provide a timeline for when that might happen.
Either way, it was probably very upsetting for Williams not to see more of his team’s support for the loss of his mother from an organization where he has spent the last nine years.
Photo: USA Today