It’s really easy to look at this and say “man, if it’s not one thing, it’s another.” As more stuff keeps piling on top of this kid, it’s more than fair to believe that this is going to have some baring on whether or not Williams will be granted an extension this offseason. Fans are going to hate that I say that, but he really needs to just have a year where nothing happens other than him playing good football.
The good thing is that Lions head Dan Campbell came out in full support for Williams ahead of Williams serving the first game of his suspension.
“I trust this kid. I trust him, and unfortunately, you’ve got to pay for your sins, and something happens and if this comes down, then so be it, but I know this, we dangled the rope down on the way up, we can’t wait for anybody, and over a year ago he started climbing his way up and he got to us, and maybe he lost his grip, but he’ll climb back up again. That rope’s still there, it’s tied to us, and he’ll be just fine. But he’s part of this team and I trust him.
He and I have enough dialogue, enough things that have happened, I know when he tells me something, I know what it is, and that’s the best way I can say it. And so, look, this happened, it is what it is, and move on. But I do, and he’s put the work in, and he’s put his best foot forward and, like I say, he lost his grip, so he’ll be back.”
These words were important then, but they’re twice as important now. The reason being that he and the Lions knew about the gun stuff weeks ago. Campbell knew about this before he said these words and he still emphatically said every one of them.
This doesn’t absolve Williams of anything perse, but what it does do is it says that the Lions still very much believe in Williams, but he has to prove to them that their belief should be had.
It’s the same thing you may have experienced with your parents when you got in trouble as a teenager. They obviously still love you, but trust is earned and not just given. It needs to be earned back. If the growth we’ve seen from Williams is as real as it seems, he’ll earn it back.