From WBTV’s exclusive interview with Carolina Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams:
On being told he was being released:
“[General manager Dave Gettleman] sat down and he told me ‘The fact of the matter is we’re going to have to release you.’ I said you know, ‘Why?’ and he said, ‘because we don’t run the ball enough. Just like you said back before the season started, we don’t run the ball enough to keep you and both [Jonathan Stewart], so we’re going to release you,’ … “I felt like that was a big honor to me because they could’ve just released me through text or told my agent. But to call me in the office and tell me to my face, Gettleman and Coach [Ron] Rivera, that ‘we’re going to release you,’ made me feel pretty good about my standing, my relationship with the Carolina Panthers.”
On if he has hard feelings toward the decision:
“I’m not bitter at all. I mean, I really appreciate the nine years I put in with the Carolina Panthers, … I’ll be 32 this year. You know, nine years in the game. I kinda knew the writing was on the wall. I know I still have a few years left in me. I’m just ready for the next chapter of life.”
On hearing from Gettleman and Rivera after his mother passed away:
“[Gettleman] was like, ‘Man we’re praying for you’. I said ‘I really appreciate it, thank you so much. He said, ‘If there’s anything we can ever do for you, don’t hesitate to call.’ I was like man.. you know I really appreciate that.’ That was the end. That was it. Nobody came to the funeral. The owner didn’t reach out. He didn’t say anything. Never talked to me. Nobody upstairs ever talked to me. The only two people who ever said anything to me was Coach Rivera and Dave Gettleman. Everybody else was… they were busy because it was the draft, … There’s nothing that Coach Rivera and Dave Gettleman can do to me that will make me mad or make me hate them because in my darkest hour they were there for me.”
On feeling the organization wasn’t there for him after his mother passed away:
“I was upset with Carolina, because the last five or six years during October, [my mom] was celebrated, but then when she was no longer here — let’s move on. [I was] very disappointed, … it stung to know that a place of business that you’ve worked for, you’ve bled, you’ve played through injuries, you’ve done everything you possibly can for this organization to be successful, and then upon your darkest hour, they let you, handle it by yourself.”
On the only NFL player to attend his mother’s funeral:
“Greg Hardy was there, … he was the only one there for me. All the players around the league, all the players in the locker room – they texted and called. But Greg Hardy showed up.”
On a new team policy:
“My situation with my mom brought about change. They have a plan in place now. This was the catalyst for putting that plan in place. Because we’ve had players lose family members now, and Gettleman and Coach Rivera went to the funeral or showed up at the memorial service or things of that nature.”
On his future:
“There’s no way I can end my career with the season that I had last year. So I want to end on a positive note. I want to win a Super Bowl. I want to play on the largest platform that you can play in in the NFL, and that’s the Super Bowl, so I’m going to keep going.”
CLICK HERE to read the entire report from WBTV.
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CLICK BELOW to watch an 18-minute extended interview.
