The Philadelphia Eagles waived a 51-year-old player from the team this week.
Bernard Williams, an All-Rookie offensive tackle who started all 16 games for the Eagles in 1994, was waived Thursday. The former first-round pick was drafted before some current Eagles players were born.
Williams was suspended for testing positive for marijuana multiple times, but he never applied for reinstatement but did play in the XFL, AFL, and CFL before calling it a career.
He was suspended for six games in July of 1995 after a positive marijuana test, then suspended again that October for the remainder of the season. He never played an NFL snap after his rookie year.
“I still hadn’t gotten a grip on my marijuana use,” Williams told The Philadelphia Daily News in 2001.
“People from the league told me I wasn’t ready for reinstatement. They said it would be best for me if I didn’t apply at that time. That’s when I kind of said forget it.
“I still wanted to play in the NFL. But I was bitter about what went on. I figured that at some point and time, I’d get sick of just sitting around and not playing and give it another try.”
NFL officials contacted the Eagles recently and explained that they were clearing out decades-old players on various reserve lists when Williams’ name surfaced.
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Williams was one of only six Eagles first-round picks to start every game as a rookie in the last 40 years.
