Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mike Williams has died at the age of 36 after an accident at a construction site, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday evening.
Williams passed out on September 1 because of severe bleeding after a steel beam fell on his head causing a head injury. His spinal cord ruptured, and the young man was taken to ICU. He never woke up after being placed in a drug induced coma.
A former star at Syracuse, Williams was a fourth-round pick of the Buccaneers in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played three seasons with Tampa Bay, tallying 215 receptions for 2,947 yards and 25 TD.
The former Orange star opened his career by putting up 11 touchdowns as a rookie in 2010. His best season came back in 2012 when the receiver hauled 63 passes for 996 yards and nine touchdowns. Williams finished his NFL career as a member of the Bills in 2014, catching eight passes in nine games.
Williams’ mother had set up a GoFundMe account prior to his passing.
“As you can probably imagine, this is painful for me and has me distraught. I am asking those of you who watched Mike Williams, cheered for him and seen him do wonderful things on and off the field to help me. I reside in Dallas Texas, and I need help with expenses to continue to travel back and forth to Tampa, Florida,” Williams’ mother wrote.
Williams’ passing comes just over two years after his former Buccaneers teammate and fellow wide receiver Vincent Jackson passed away at the young age of 38. They were Tampa Bay’s two leading receivers for then-coach Greg Schiano that season.