East Carolina running back Jonathan Williams' legal problems continue. On Tuesday, hours after news broke about Williams being arrested on Oct. 5 for resisting a police officer, the ECU running back was back in the custody of Greenville police, this time facing two charges for assault with a deadly weapon.
Police allege that on Sunday, the Pirates' leading rusher was involved in an assault at a house party in Greenville. It is alleged that Williams used a beer bottle to strike a male victim in the back of the head, and also struck a female victim in the arm with a beer bottle.
He turned himself into Greenville police on Tuesday evening, and was released on a $2,500 unsecured bond. He faces a November 19 court date for his latest arrest.
ECU coach Skip Holtz didn't become aware of Williams' Oct. 5 arrest until Tuesday. Williams was not at practice the last two days and Holtz would only release the following statement.
"We have just been made aware of the situation and we are certainly going to gather facts from an internal standpoint and let the judicial system take its course," Holtz said. "Any charge filed against an ECU football player is something that we take very seriously, but since this is a legal matter, any further comment on our part would be inappropriate at this point.
"Our basic expectation for every member of our program has always been that they must earn the right to represent East Carolina University on the football field every week and that they will be held accountable for their actions on and off the field," Holtz added. "Any player charged with a crime will not represent ECU in any manner until cleared to do so by university and athletic department administrators. We always work closely with those entities to ensure that student-athletes are disciplined in a fair and consistent manner within the expectations for all ECU students as well as the expectations for all student-athletes."
After Tuesday's practice, the fourth-year head coach said he was unaware of Sunday's incident.
"I've had very little time to sit down and evaluate the facts," said Holtz following Tuesday's practice. "Once I get a chance to evaluate the facts, we'll sit down and take a look at where we go from there."
For the time being, Williams, who leads the Pirates with 350 yards rushing and five touchdowns, has been suspended indefinitely.
The 20-year old sophomore, a Greenville native, has been arrested three times since spring football practice began.
In April, he was arrested on a DWI charge and was also charged with consumption of alcohol by a minor. He'll appear in court Nov. 5 for the resisting a police officer charge, Nov. 19 for the two assault with a deadly weapons charges, and Jan. 16 for the DWI and consumption of alcohol by a minor charges.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-23-2008 @ 5:55PM
Eric said...
I love this!!!!
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10-23-2008 @ 5:56PM
Eric said...
I REALLY love this!
Reply
10-23-2008 @ 6:55PM
ECUFAN#1 said...
I can't belive this sh#t, All the athletes who never got a chance to compete at the college level Jon Williams who stayed in trouble continued to go for bad. Kids look up to Williams like a NFL superstar in Greenville. I hate to say it but I think Skip need to just release him for good. By looking at the recruiting class when Williams committed 3 other runningbacks committed as well. Only one runningback left out of that class(JR Rogers) and he looked like a better runner from what I saw at the purple and gold game.
Rogers is healthy and I know Jon Williams present wont effect the team as much as people think. I expect Jon Williams to get in twice as much trouble now that he has more time on his hand. Hey! he's the Lawrence Phillips of ECU lol.
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10-23-2008 @ 7:17PM
bigken said...
east carolina never gave or give a dam about football players unless they are prosper on the field, once trouble in thire indiviual lives occurs the players lives, education becomes numb to the program and school they very easy take away the scarloships as quickly and sneekey as they can and by any means this runs as far back when sorry ass ed emory was head coach, the crediability left east carolina when pat dye left skip is running off his farther famous name they recruit the type players with the unlawful attitude toward the system and exspect them to stay with in the lines and when they dont they leave them out with no type of guidence or education i know this they did this to me a former player 1979 and i wish them then and now the worst luck in success as a football program can have a tarboro resident now living in new jersey i hate east carolina football program period
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10-25-2008 @ 2:55PM
Pirate73 said...
big ken,
I can tell your education was cut short at ECU. You need to learn how to spell. ECU does not drop you just because you are not a star. This is William's 4th strike. Everyone keeps forgetting the charges from the bowl game in Hawaii. He and two other students stole shoes from a store during the bowl game weekend. You can tell he thinks he is above everyone from his pre-season interviews. He said we do not need Chris Johnson. I can handle the load for the team. He needs to remember there is no I in team. Chris Johnson was one of the best backs to come out of ECU and he needs to give him the respect he deserves. If you stay out of trouble you stay on the team. He has not shown any ability to stay out of trouble.
11-28-2008 @ 2:48PM
Big Tim said...
I would agree you didn't get an education while you were here but that is YOUR fault. You were an adult 18+ when you were here and the decision to learn was yours. You were given the gift of an opportunity to better yourself and YOU chose to squander it. Don't give me that don't hate the player, hate the game crap. Jonathan Williams needs his but cut from the team because HE chose to screw up. The ECU football program didn't make him bonk somebody on the head with a bottle. You need to find a good therapist because you have got it all wrong. Skip has done wonders here, but yes, there is still work to be done. If you don't give a crap about ECU football program; then why are you in here flapping you negative, no spelling, illiterate jaws about it? Hmm
10-25-2008 @ 3:55PM
bigkenbrwn said...
dont mistake typo erros or proof reading as sign of uneducation my frien pirate 73 you see understanding is the grestest teacher of them all and i also attended the university of understanding who or you to judge ones mistakes as thire charater or the arrogance of ones mine set is the complete individual himself surly my fellow pirate indeed has some issuse that needs to be address its the way the institution handle these situation that i am clearly sure as they dont give a dam about character of a recruit until he come under heat and they drop these athletes like hot potators and again you responded to my statements so there for no matter how long my stay at ecu you understood me so there for you too have just attened the university of understanding congradulation keep hollowering, drinking the beer; in the stands on saturdays big ken 79
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12-01-2008 @ 8:35AM
Big Tim said...
And don't give me the typo error junk about that email either. I didn't even use spell check. And if you did yours was broken. Where did you transfer to for your degree? Walmart? You can't insult someones passion and blame your own demise on that passion. Your problems are yours and not only did you leave here with them....in the 70's, you haven't bettered yourself even today. ECU isn't Harvard, but you can learn. I have sent two kids through ECU and they do just fine. Both can type and spell too.
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