Aaron Williams of the Buffalo Bills might consider retiring early after suffering a gruesome injury during the Week 7 game against the Miami Dolphins. As noted by the coach, the strong safety is expected to miss a couple of weeks due to his present condition.
Williams got a nasty hit delivered by Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry during the second quarter of last Sunday's game, in which Miami defeated the Bills with a final score of 28 to 25. The hit, which was labeled as an illegal crackbat, immediately sent Williams crashing onto the ground.
The strong safety was hospitalized and according to reports, he suffered neck and head injuries.
Williams, who joined Buffalo in 2011 as the team's No. 34 overall draft pick, will most likely not be able to join the Bills when they take on the New England Patriots on October 30. However, it is not yet clear how long he will be out for.
The nature of the hit and his injury has caused Williams to re-think his career and future in the NFL. According to his father Anthony, his son has already thought about the subject of retirement due to his concerns over his own safety and health.
As noted by Anthony, Williams plans to make a decision during the offseason in 2017.
"We'll wait to talk about that at the end of the season as a family, and we'll pray about it and make the best decision that's right for him," Anthony said.
As for Landry, the wide receiver was fined for $24,309 by the league due to his illegal hit on Williams. He then issued an apology to the injured Bills player.
"I apologized," he said. "I just told him to get better. You never want to see that happen to anybody... If I could take that hit back, I would. It's a guy's livelihood.
Buffalo's coach Rex Ryan, on the other fan, was not happy with what Landry did to Williams. For him, the hit was dirty, deliberate and totally uncalled for.
"Did he launch? Target? Yeah," Ryan said, "Unsportsmanlike? Yeah. Now I have a player in jeopardy."
