DOM WILLIAMS' CAREER PATH took an audible. Since leaving the NFL on top after winning Super Bowl LII with the Philadelphia Eagles, Williams is now entering his sixth year as a NYPD officer. Broadcaster Gus Johnson has said; ‘He's got get-away-from-the-cops speed,' but what happens when the cop is a former Washington State wide receiver who can flat-out fly?
Well, assailants are currently 0-for-11 against him in attempted getaways, says Williams.
"I have had to do some pursuits. We all know how that ended. I'm 32 now, but I can still move a little bit," Williams said laughing.
Williams says he's envisioned himself in law enforcement since he was a kid.
"Growing up in Pomona, I had officers that looked out for me," Williams said. "They made sure that if things were going in the neighborhood, that I was safe. They kept a great relationship with my grandma."
After graduating from the academy, Williams checked into the south Bronx's 40th Precinct.
"Come to the most crime riddled area in all of New York City, why not?!" Williams said with a smile.
Williams is following steps laid out by police officers he had early in his life, blazing his own trail in nurturing a better relationship between police officers and youth inside The Bronx.
"Surprisingly, a lot of the kids from the projects come to me," Williams said. "I have a basketball team, football team, volleyball team, all year around. Every Saturday, we all get together and we play. Even though they're from different projects and different crews, that doesn't matter to me.
"I needed to be around kids who had dreams and wanted to do stuff in life, even if it's not sports. I tell them all the time, 'I don't care if you don't want to play sports, I want you to chase your dreams and be in the best position to achieve them.'"
WILLIAMS LEFT WSU ranked sixth all-time in touchdown receptions (30), but one TD grab in Eugene is still etched in his memory between heartbreak and triumph.
"That game was probably one of the hardest of my career. I don't know if most people know or not, but right before that game I just lost my grandmother," Williams said.
Williams' grandmother, Jennie Dodd, was the main reason Williams says he decided to go to school and pursue his degree in criminal justice.
"Talking with Coach Leach, we were going back and forth on if I should go home or not. I made the decision I was going to play. What really pushed me through that game was my sisters coming to the game and supporting me, along with my godmother.
Before Williams' touchdown sent the game to overtime, WSU faced a third and 21 with 1:43 to go.
"That third and 21, I just remember Coach Leach was like, 'we're going to run Sluggo to this side. Williams! You better get the ball.'
"I just remember coming off the line about six yards like I was going to do a hitch play, waiting for the corner to make some type of reaction. You can't move until he reacts. Once he reacted, I said, ‘OK, wherever he just came from, I'm just going to replace it.' Once I caught it, I had to get up field and get 21 yards."
Fast forward 96 seconds, with time for one more play and inside the 10, the Cougs needed seven to force overtime. Williams says Falk connected with him inside the huddle as well as the line of scrimmage leading up to the play.
"I remember Luke looking at me [with a hand signal] like this, I think he saw the height difference on the outside," Williams said. "I think Luke looked at my eyes in the huddle and saw I was playing for a reason. Once the ball was up in the air, I had to have it."
With one second left from Oregon's 8-yard-line, Falk found Williams in the southwest corner of the end zone.
“Once I caught it, I cradled it up like a baby. There was no way that ball was coming out."
NOTABLE NOTES:
Mike Leach anecdote: "I remember our first Midnight Maneuvers: I was like, what the hell is a midnight maneuver?’" Williams said. "He would say, if you can't do this, leave! Because this is the standard that we're going to play at. It was him telling us, 'I'm not coming down to your level, you're going to come to my level.'"
Thoughts on offensive scheme change this season: "I see us being more strategic and (having a) balanced attack but don't get me wrong, they still have some damn good receivers," Williams said. "Those young bucks over there, I'm watching their 1-on-1s that they post — great technique."
Related: Dom Williams' last-second TD catch and other great Cougar moments vs. Ducks