Bills lose key touchdown threat Karlos Williams to a four-game suspension
Williams' suspension comes for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy
By
John Breech
•
2 min read
For the second time in a month, the Buffalo Bills are upset with Karlos Williams, only this time, he's probably not going to be able to blame his wife for the problem.
The NFL announced on Friday that Williams has been suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
The suspension comes almost exactly one month after Williams showed for minicamp about 20 pounds overweight. At the time, Williams blamed his wife's pregnancy for the weight gain.
"I like to eat, and then her being pregnant gave me an excuse to eat, so eating anything and everything," Williams said in mid-June. "She'd wake up one or two o'clock. 'I want a snack.' Well, I'm not going to sit here and watch you eat because I don't want you to feel bad."
Williams is now going to have a few extra weeks to lose weight, because he's not eligible to play this year until Oct. 3.
The Bills were disappointed in Williams when he showed up overweight to minicamp, and they're even more disappointed now.
"As an organization, we are disappointed that Karlos has put himself in this situation," the team said in a statement. "Poor decisions such as this affect not only the individual, but the entire Bills organization. We will continue to work with Karlos through the various player programs we provide to assist him in making better decisions moving forward."
It won't be easy for the Bills offense to overcome the loss of Williams. The running back led the team with seven rushing touchdowns last season, which he managed to do despite the fact that he only played in 11 games. For the season, Williams scored a total of nine touchdowns, which tied Sammy Watkins for the team lead.
The 23-year-old running back served as a one-two punch with LeSean McCoy in 2015. As the second man in the attack, Williams was able to average 5.6 yards per carry in 2015. The running back finished the season with 517 yards.
If Rex Ryan feels the need to add a free agent to replace Williams, don't be surprised if he goes after a veteran like Reggie Bush.
Would be very surprised if the Bills don't reach out to Reggie Bush in light of the Karlos Williams suspension. I'd anticipate some interest
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) July 15, 2016
Williams will miss the Bills opener at Baltimore, along with home games against the Jets and Cardinals. The running back will also miss a Week 4 game against the Patriots.
The Williams suspension continues a rough 24 hours for Bills running backs named Williams. Jonathan Williams, a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, was charged with a DWI in Arkansas on Thursday.
