Former NFL player Mike Williams died at the age of 36 after an accident at a construction site.
The Buccaneers star was struck on the head by a steel beam on Friday while he was working at a construction site.
A GoFundMe page set up by Latrina Moore included a message from Mr Williams’ father, Wendell Muhammed, who was raising funds for his travel expenses to go and see his son before he passed away.
Mr Muhammed explained: “As a result of this accident, there was swelling on his brain and swelling on his spinal cord that was ruptured. These injuries resulted in complete paralysis in his right arm as well as his lower body from the waist down.”
He went on to say doctors rushed Mr Williams to the ICU as he had “severe breathing problems” after the injury. They put him in an induced coma on Sunday. While the doctors were able to quell his breathing issue, Mr Williams never regained consciousness and passed away.
While the doctors had a date on 6 September to try and resuscitate Mr Williams, it is unclear when he died during his coma.
Mr Williams, from Buffalo, New York, was most known for playing for the Buccanneers after he was chosen in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Mike Williams playing for the Buccaneers— (Getty Images)
He attended Syracuse University in 2006 where he started his college football career. He led the team with 461 receiving yards, but was suspended in 2008 for academic reasons.
Before he was drafted by the Buccaneers, he played for three seasons for the Syracuse Orange as a wide receiver. He had 133 career receptions, 2,044 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns.
He is tied second with football legend Marvin Harrison for the most amount of touchdowns in Syracuse history.
Towards the end of his football career he also spent time on the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs teams.
Mr Williams appeared in 63 NFL games throughout his career, starting in 52, made 223 catches for 3,089 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Fans took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share their reactions to the sad news. One user said: “RIP Mike Williams. It was really special watching a Buffalo native represent his hometown team. I’ll never forget his first touchdown as a Bill. Heartbreaking…”
His former Buccaneers teammate Gerald McCoy also shared on X his shock upon learning about Mr Williams’ death. He said: “Dang man hurts my heart seeing the news of my former teammate and Buccaneers 2010 draft class brother Mike Williams. Always great energy, brought joy and laughter to the locker room and a heck of a player!! Prayers and blessings to his family!!”
