Quote:
Originally Posted by AKA_Monet
Some of these guys come from having a "record"... You THINK they SHOULD behave like adult--cuz that's what they are--BUT they do NOT.
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I certainly don't disagree, Monet.
During a long career of televising sports, I've met a lot of athletes on every level. Some are remarkably bright -- some are dumber than a rock. Some act their age, some are still kids. Some are pillars of the community, some are thugs.
I didn't know Darrent Williams.
In the aftermath of a tragedy like this one, you hear all kinds of comments and stories. The concensus seems to be that this was a man who had a very rough childhood, but who had turned his life around. He was apparantely very highly thought of as a player and a person by the members of his team and the Bronco staff. His coaches from high school and Oklahoma State say that he had turned into a great young man with a potentially outstanding future. Bronco coach Mike Shanahan said, ""We all know that Darrent was an excellent player, but as a person, he was a first-class young man who brightened every room with his smile, attitude and personality," Shanahan said. "I cannot express how heartsick I feel at this loss."
The word in some places is that the shooter probably followed the limo and made a deliberate attack. Both the suspect vehicle and the stretch limo had tinted glass, so it's hard to know if Williams was the target -- or the entire group. It will be interesting to see if the shooter and Williams have any history, or if this was a spur of the moment crime growing out of the alleged argument at the club. My gut feeling is the later -- but I have no information to prove it and could be totally off base. It's just a kind of "between the lines" feeling I have.
There was some sad footage of Bronco Javon Walker ariving at Bronco Headquarters today with blood on his shirt and pants. He was in the limo, and reports are that Williams collapsed into Walker's lap after being hit in the neck.
Another man (there were reportedly twelve people in the Hummer) who was hit in the limo was released from the hospital. The woman who was also injured was reportedly hit in the head, but her injuries don't appear life threatening.
As Jon correctly points out, we don't have a whole lot of information yet and the investigation is in its very early stages.
The only thing that is absolutely for sure is that a promising young athlete has been killed long before his time.