UPDATED 9/12, 12:20 p.m. ET: Mike Williams has passed away, according to his agent Hadley Engelhard of EnterSports Management and confirmed by ESPN.
“He will be missed. He fought hard his whole life. Prayers to his family.”
Williams was injured while performing electrical work.
UPDATED 9/6, 6:55 p.m. ET: The Tampa Bay Times revealed on Wednesday evening that Mike Williams has not died. The 36-year-old is actually "on life support in ICU at St. Joseph’s Hospital due to injuries sustained in a construction accident last week.”
Tierney Lyle, the mother of Williams’ 8-year-old daughter, gave more information just after leaving the hospital today. “They were waiting on me and [his daughter]. We’re here and still trying to figure it out," she said. "He was asleep when we went in there and he woke up when he heard our voices and his daughter’s voice. And he looked around, and he blinked and he was crying but he can’t move."
The Times added that Lyle “said she believed the plan was to remove Williams from life support but that hasn’t happened yet.”
See original story below.
Former Syracuse Orange football and NFL wide receiver Mike Williams is dead at 36 from injuries sustained in a construction accident.
The news was first reported by Spectrum News 1 reporter Jon Scott, who tweeted that multiple sources confirmed Williams suffered injuries during an accident at his job at a construction site. Per the New York Post, a steel beam struck his head. Williams died on Tuesday, September 5.
The Buffalo native was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He later played for the Buffalo Bills in 2014 but was released that same year. He Was also briefly signed to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016.
A GoFundMe campaign organized by Latrina Moore contains a statement from his father, Wendell Muhammad. "Mike Williams recently had a major accident at work," reads the statement. "A steal beam fell on his head causing a massive head injury. As a result of this accident, there was swelling on his brain and swelling on his spinal cord that was ruptured. These injuries resulted in complete paralysis in his right arm as well as his lower body from the waist down."
On Friday, September 1, Williams passed out after suffering from "severe breathing problems." He was taken to an intensive care unit, where it was found his lungs ere filled with water. He never regained consciousness. At the time the campaign was launched, his father hoped that Williams would make a recovery from his injuries.
Williams' former Buccaneers teammate Gerald McCoy responded to the news in a post shared on X. "Dang man hurts my heart seeing the news of my former teammate and Buccaneers 2010 draft class brother Mike Williams," wrote McCoy. "Always great energy, brought joy and laughter to the locker room and a heck of a player!! Prayers and blessings to his family!!"
Williams made appearances in 63 NFL games during his professional career. He spent the majority of his time in the NFL with the Buccaneers, for whom he played four seasons.
