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Ex-Redskins QB Doug Williams mulls return to NFL
By Dave Sheinin
Published: November 13
Ruston, La. — Doug Williams was waiting in line to place his order at Dowling’s BBQ, just around the corner from his home, when the man, a local attorney, spotted him and sauntered over. Placing his hand on the shoulder of the Super Bowl XXII most valuable player, the man spoke earnestly: “It’s terrible, what happened. But I hope you stay. We need good men like you in this community.” Williams nodded and thanked him, then placed his order: brisket plate, double beans.
It happens all the time, ever since Williams was fired as Grambling State University’s football coach on Sept. 11: folks expressing their regret, lamenting the unfairness of it all, offering their warmest wishes. It happened over and over earlier this month, when Williams attended the Washington Redskins’ “homecoming” game, where the franchise celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Super Bowl XXII title.
“I didn’t run into one person, black or white, who didn’t walk up to me and say, ‘That’s a tragedy, what happened at Grambling,’ ” Williams said the other day, over his brisket and baked beans. “Sitting on the airplane next morning, I’m next to a guy. And the first thing he says is, ‘How could they fire Doug Williams?’ I just said, ‘Easy.’ ”
Williams, 58, lets loose a hearty belly laugh as he reaches the end of the story. Two months after his firing — and nearly four weeks after the story exploded when Grambling’s players, including his son D.J., a quarterback, boycotted a game to protest the state of the program — Williams seems remarkably at peace with what happened, and remarkably well-adjusted to his new life as a stay-at-home dad and “bus driver,” as he puts it, shuttling his two youngest daughters, ages 5 and 8, back and forth from school, soccer practice and dance class.
When he isn’t driving his kids around, he binge-watches “NCIS” episodes and, depending on his mood, either pays attention to his phone — which is constantly ringing and pinging — or doesn’t.
“Hey, Judge,” Williams says into his phone, pausing from his lunch to take a call from an old friend in New Orleans. The judge was calling to see how Williams was doing and lament the situation at Grambling. “I know, I know. Okay. Thanks for calling, Judge.”
There isn’t much point in pondering his next move just yet. Grambling is still paying Williams his salary, and there won’t be any football jobs coming open until after the new year. The only thing he and his wife, Raunda, know for sure is that they will be moving somewhere.
Williams, who spent six years in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers front office last decade, said he spoke “in passing” to some Redskins officials about his situation over the weekend, but offered no specifics and said he didn’t expect to speak to them again until after the current season. In February 2011, after a discussion with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and General Manager Bruce Allen, Williams was prepared to join the organization in a player-personnel role when the Grambling job came open.
“My son was already in school,” Williams said. “Dan said, ‘That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — if you have a chance to coach your son, go coach your son.’ And I appreciated that. That’s where we left it.”
By Dave Sheinin
Published: November 13
Ruston, La. — Doug Williams was waiting in line to place his order at Dowling’s BBQ, just around the corner from his home, when the man, a local attorney, spotted him and sauntered over. Placing his hand on the shoulder of the Super Bowl XXII most valuable player, the man spoke earnestly: “It’s terrible, what happened. But I hope you stay. We need good men like you in this community.” Williams nodded and thanked him, then placed his order: brisket plate, double beans.
It happens all the time, ever since Williams was fired as Grambling State University’s football coach on Sept. 11: folks expressing their regret, lamenting the unfairness of it all, offering their warmest wishes. It happened over and over earlier this month, when Williams attended the Washington Redskins’ “homecoming” game, where the franchise celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Super Bowl XXII title.
“I didn’t run into one person, black or white, who didn’t walk up to me and say, ‘That’s a tragedy, what happened at Grambling,’ ” Williams said the other day, over his brisket and baked beans. “Sitting on the airplane next morning, I’m next to a guy. And the first thing he says is, ‘How could they fire Doug Williams?’ I just said, ‘Easy.’ ”
Williams, 58, lets loose a hearty belly laugh as he reaches the end of the story. Two months after his firing — and nearly four weeks after the story exploded when Grambling’s players, including his son D.J., a quarterback, boycotted a game to protest the state of the program — Williams seems remarkably at peace with what happened, and remarkably well-adjusted to his new life as a stay-at-home dad and “bus driver,” as he puts it, shuttling his two youngest daughters, ages 5 and 8, back and forth from school, soccer practice and dance class.
When he isn’t driving his kids around, he binge-watches “NCIS” episodes and, depending on his mood, either pays attention to his phone — which is constantly ringing and pinging — or doesn’t.
“Hey, Judge,” Williams says into his phone, pausing from his lunch to take a call from an old friend in New Orleans. The judge was calling to see how Williams was doing and lament the situation at Grambling. “I know, I know. Okay. Thanks for calling, Judge.”
There isn’t much point in pondering his next move just yet. Grambling is still paying Williams his salary, and there won’t be any football jobs coming open until after the new year. The only thing he and his wife, Raunda, know for sure is that they will be moving somewhere.
Williams, who spent six years in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers front office last decade, said he spoke “in passing” to some Redskins officials about his situation over the weekend, but offered no specifics and said he didn’t expect to speak to them again until after the current season. In February 2011, after a discussion with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and General Manager Bruce Allen, Williams was prepared to join the organization in a player-personnel role when the Grambling job came open.
“My son was already in school,” Williams said. “Dan said, ‘That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — if you have a chance to coach your son, go coach your son.’ And I appreciated that. That’s where we left it.”
