Left tackle promises he won’t repeat his error Redskins left tackle Trent Williams said he made a mistake last season, one he doesn’t want to repeat. It’s also one that — if he does repeat — will cost him an entire year.
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Williams, in his first public comments since his four-game suspension for testing positive for drugs, said he hasn’t made any lifestyle changes. Tight end Fred Davis also was suspended for the final four games of the season.
“Obviously we’re dealing with the [NFL’s] program, and they take a certain amount of measures to make sure it doesn’t occur again,” Williams said at the Leukemia Golf Classic hosted by Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va. “That’s all behind me, store it in the past and just ready to get [to the] playoffs.”
Williams tested positive multiple times to earn that four-game suspension. If he tests positive again, he’ll be banned for a year — as will Davis.
The Redskins struggled to replace Williams, who was having a solid season before the suspension. Undrafted rookie free agent Willie Smith started three of those games and was predictably inconsistent.
“It was tough having to watch the game from the couch,” Williams said. “It’s something I’ve never been a part of and something I never thought I’d be doing. But that’s the type of stuff you do when you make decisions like that. … I made a mistake, and you just got to deal with it.”
After the season, coach Mike Shanahan said of Williams, “He’s got to be smart enough to understand that if you disappoint your football team like you did, you’d better come back with a passion and the drive to do what we need him to do. He’s got to prove that he can do it on a day-to-day basis and set the standard for our football team and our organization.”
Williams said he feels good about the direction he’s going. And he’s looking forward to playing football again.
“It’s all about progression man,” he said. “If I came out the same as I was last year, that means I’m getting worse. Step it up and be more of a leader. Obviously don’t make some of the mistakes I made in the past and be a better player and lead by example also.
“I can’t wait man. We got a new quarterback. We got a whole new team. It’s going to be fun.”
