Dan Campbell made it very clear on Wednesday afternoon: The team still trusts Jameson Williams, despite his looming suspension.
As of now, Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams remains at the team facility, despite a potential two-game suspension looming , after being found to have violated the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy. According to Justin Rogers, Williams is weighing his options to potentially appeal his suspension , but until then, he has not officially been suspended and can remain active.
On Wednesday, Lions coach Dan Campbell was peppered with questions about Williams, and while he was unable to answer any specifics, he made one thing very clear: this team has not lost faith nor trust in Williams despite this suspension—his second in as many years.
“I trust this kid. I trust him,” Campbell said. “Unfortunately, you’ve got to pay for your sins. Something happens, and if this comes down, so be it. But I know this, we dangled a rope down on the way up. We can’t wait for anybody. Over a year ago, he started climbing his way up, and he got to us. Maybe he lost his grip, but he’ll climb back up again. That rope is still there. It’s tied to us, and he’ll be just fine. He’s part of this team, and I trust him.”
Where does that trust come from? Campbell says he’s had enough one-on-one conversations with Williams to know that his mind is in the right place, and he’s got the support system he needs.
“He’s taken huge strides, he’s made huge strides,” Campbell said. “I recognized that and I think the team recognizes that. So I think he’s going to come back better than he was before.”
At this point, it’s unclear if Williams will be active this week against the Tennessee Titans . But Campbell noted that they’ll be prepared either way, due to their deep bench of receivers that includes reserves Kalif Raymond and Allen Robinson.
“Leaf is really, he’s really is one of our starters. He’s a spot starter,” Campbell said. “We use him enough. But I would tell you—absolutely Leaf. Everyone’s got the utmost trust in Leaf. He’s been here since the beginning. The guy does everything right and he’s smart, he’s competitive, he’s got speed. That’s the other thing, this guy can run, let’s not forget. But I would say, Allen Robinson. Man, we just went through the walkthrough, he’s going to take on a heavy load here too. Talk about a pro, man. He’s locked in.”