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Former Buccaneers WR Mike Williams dead at 36: report
Mike Williams, a former wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Buffalo Bills, reportedly died on Tuesday at the age of 36 following a construction accident.
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Former NFL wide receiver Mike Williams reportedly died on Tuesday at the age of 36.
Spectrum News in Buffalo reports that Williams was working at a construction site when he suffered injuries in an accident.
Williams, a Buffalo native, attended Syracuse University, and as a true freshman in 2006, he led the team with 461 receiving yards. He was an all-Big East selection the following season, but was suspended for the 2008 season for academic reasons.
In seven games in 2009, he caught 49 balls for 746 yards and seven touchdowns but quit the team due to a possible suspension after he violated team rules following a car accident.
Nonetheless, he was still a fourth-round selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2010 NFL Draft, and he impressed quickly.
In his rookie season, he led the team with 964 receiving yards, and his 65 receptions were one shy of tying the team lead. He also scored 11 times, the most on the team, and his impressive campaign was good for a second-place honor for Offensive Rookie of the Year behind Sam Bradford.
The Bucs signed him to an extension worth close to $40 million before the 2013 campaign, but he played in just six games that year and was then traded to his hometown Buffalo Bills, where he spent one season.
In 2015, he was supposed to be suspended for the first six games of the season, but he remained a free agent throughout the year.
He was on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad in 2016.
Williams' 20 touchdowns at Syracuse are tied for the second-most in school history, along with Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison.
In his professional career, he totaled 223 receptions for 3,089 yards and 26 touchdowns.