Marcus Williams

Marcus A. Williams Jr. (born December 12, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for one season with the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington State Cougars. Signed to the Raiders' active roster in 2002, Williams' career came to an abrupt end due to injuries sustained from being punched by teammate Bill Romanowski during the 2003 training camp. Williams subsequently sued Romanowski and won over $300,000 in damages.

Early life and college Born in Oakland, California, Williams graduated from Berkeley High School in nearby Berkeley. He began his college football career at the junior college level at Laney College in Oakland in 1997. After two seasons at Laney, Williams transferred to Washington State University, where he majored in humanities and played for the Washington State Cougars in 1999 and 2000 under head coach Mike Price. At Washington State, Williams played at wide receiver and had 61 receptions for 1,086 yards and eight touchdowns.

Professional career

Williams was not selected in the 2001 NFL draft. The Indianapolis Colts signed Williams as a free agent on April 27, 2001, and released him on August 27. On December 5, 2001, the Oakland Raiders signed Williams to the practice squad. Due to a back injury, Williams sat out the first two weeks of the NFL Europe season. On week three, Williams was reassigned to the Frankfurt Galaxy, and he made his debut on April 27 against the Scottish Claymores. Williams played five games off the bench at tight end, during which he had one reception, a two-yard touchdown. Williams was again placed on injured reserve, and he filed a civil lawsuit against Romanowski in Alameda County Superior Court in October 2003.