BUFFALO BILLS

Report: Free agent RB Karlos Williams suspended at least one year

Kevin Spain
USA TODAY

Karlos Williams, whom the Buffalo Bills cut last year after he came to training camp out of shape, was suspended for at least year, according to an ESPN report.

Karlos Williams has been suspended for a year.

Williams signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the Bills cut him, but he was suspended 10 games for a violation of the substance abuse policy. He had one game remaining on that suspension.

The Steelers waived him in March, and he remains a free agent.

The Bills drafted Williams in the fifth round of the 2015 draft out of Florida State. He became the second NFL player to score touchdowns in his first six games — and at a time when starter LeSean McCoy was hampered by a hamstring injury. He finished with 517 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He caught 11 passes and scored two receiving touchdowns.

In June of 2016, he was suspended for the first four games of the season

"I'm very disappointed in myself. I put the organization, my teammates, my family in a very bad situation," he said when he reported to camp after the suspension was announced.

Then he missed the first two weeks of training camp while working with the team's training staff on getting into shape. Williams blamed the added weight on snacking with his fiancée, saying he did not want her to feel alone during her pregnancy. He was cut five days after he was cleared for practice.

"He came in behind the eight ball and never caught up, and there were other guys on the roster who moved ahead of him," then-Bills general manager Doug Whaley said at the time. "In light of that, we thought, 'Why hold onto him?'"

Contributing: The Associated Press

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