BYU suspends star RB Jamaal Williams for Honor Code violation
BYU will begin its season without one of its biggest offensive weapons, as running back Jamaal Williams confirmed to the media on Friday that he will be suspended for a violation of the BYU Honor Code.
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Williams told the Salt Lake Tribune that he fully expected the one-game suspension to happen and that the coaching staff had told him of the plan to bring him back after that.
“Most definitely I am [going to be suspended],” Williams said. “But after that I can come back for the Texas game. … They told me before camp started yesterday. It is something [where] you have to learn from your mistakes and overcome it. It is just one game. It isn’t like half the season. I’ll be OK.”
He ran for 1,233 yards and seven touchdowns last season, as the team’s second-leading rusher behind quarterback Taysom Hill. However, this offseason appears to have been one he’d rather forget.
In March, Williams was charged with underaged drinking (an incident which actually occurred in February) which is a direct violation of the BYU student Honor Code.
Williams will miss the season opening road trip to take on UConn as a result of that violation, a game that is slated for Friday, Aug. 29.
He will return for the Texas game, one in which the Longhorns defense will have revenge on its mind. Last season, Hill and the running game in general ran roughshod all over Texas’ defense. BYU racked up 550 yards on the ground en route to a 40-21 victory in Austin.