The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Sports

October 8, 2008

You’ve got to wish the best for LB Williams

By Mickey Furfari

MORGANTOWN — Reed Williams not only is one of the most productive linebackers West Virginia has ever had but also one of the most courageous.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior from Moorefield also is an outstanding young man who has been a leader by example.

He played with pain in the shoulders he had operated on last February before deciding after just two games to call its quits for this season. He will be eligible for a medical redshirt and intends to play his remaining year of eligibility in 2009.

“I got together with coach (Bill) Stewart and coach (Jeff) Casteel and the trainers and they thought it was best,” Williams said Tuesday night. “So my family and I talked it over and made the decision.

“It was terrible. I have never been through such mental anguish. That’s probably the hardest decision I have ever had to make in my life. But, obviously, the best decision was to take the ‘shirt,’ come back next year and, hopefully, be bigger and better than ever.”

You may recall that Williams was named the Defensive Player of the Game last Jan. 2 when the Mountaineers upset No. 3-ranked Oklahoma 48-28 in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl at Glendale, Ariz.

He also was the team’s leading tackler for the year with 107, including five and a half for lost yardage, forced three fumbles, recovering one, and batted down two passes.

In playing against Colorado and Marshall this year, he was credited with 17 tackles, two sacks and one pass interception.

“It was tough leaving guys I’ve played with the past three years,” Williams admitted. “The first I had to tell was Mortty Ivy, and that became very emotional.

“Mortty is like a brother to me. It wasn’t an easy couple of days for me.

“But it was a decision I knew I’d have to deal with, and when the time came, it wasn’t easy. There’s pain in my shoulder every day, but it’s getting better now that I’m not out there banging around. So it does feel better.”

He thinks the more he rehabs, the better the shoulders will become. He plans to continue to take shoulder treatments during the off-season, which for him started last week. He will be around, though, serving as a student coach.

Williams will hate having to stand on the sideline, rather than be out there looking for opponents to tackle, but he knows he’s going to have to deal with that the best he can.

“The biggest thing now is to build the strength back into those shoulders,” he said. “Swing a baseball bat, shoot a basketball, swing a golf club, etc. Do other things you like to do outside football.”

He had been helping the younger linebackers, as has Ivy, and he will continue in that role. He said he’s even getting better himself watching the others improve.

Williams continues to study opponent games tapes with teammates and prepare for an upcoming game as if he were going to play. That won’t be easy, either, for a truly nice guy who just loves to play the game.

He will complete requirements for his bachelor’s degree in December. Then he will begin studies toward a master’s degree.

You’ve got to be wishing all the best to this great gentleman.

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