Thomas Williams

Thomas Ray Williams (born December 25, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football for the USC Trojans. Williams has been a member of the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2011, he suffered a neck injury that ended his season. The next year, the same injury forced him to retire from his football career.

Williams is now a motivational speaker. He has traveled worldwide speaking to different corporations, athletes and students on how to "fully maximize their potential." In 2014 Thomas R. Williams became a published author after writing his autobiography, "Permission to DREAM." Williams is also a collegiate guest lecturer.

Thomas works close with the Wounded Warrior Project. He focuses on helping soldiers transitioning back from combat.

Early life Williams played high school football at Vacaville High School. When it came to deciding where to attend college, his final choices were University of Notre Dame and the University of Southern California. Finding them equals in many areas; Williams decided on USC due in part to the diversity of the Los Angeles area as well as the career networking, as he was uncertain he would be able to eventually move on to the NFL.

College career Thomas R. Williams entered USC in the 2003 recruiting class that included Reggie Bush and LenDale White. Williams started 14 games at 3 different positions (including fullback) while playing college football at USC. He was all-Pac-10 honorable mention in 2007 and was invited to the East West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl. Williams career stats include, 74 tackles, 1 sack, 3 fumbles forced, 5 passes defensed, 5 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, and 37 interception return yards. In 2007 Williams had 56 tackles. He had 6 tackles in the 2008 Rose Bowl.

During his time with the Trojans, Williams received guidance and feedback from veteran linebackers such as Lofa Tatupu, Matt Grootegoed, Dallas Sartz, Collin Ashton, and Oscar Lua. In order to see more playing time against the more experienced linebackers ahead of him, Williams focused and excelled at special teams play, particularly kickoff coverage. Williams signed a four-year contract with the Jaguars. He played in six games for the Jaguars in 2008, recording one tackle. He was waived on September 5, 2009.

Seattle Seahawks Williams was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad on September 8, 2009. He was released on September 30.

New England Patriots Williams was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad on November 10, 2009. He was promoted to the Patriots' active roster on January 6, 2010, in advance of their playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, for which he was inactive. He was waived during final cuts on September 4, 2010.

Buffalo Bills Williams was signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad on October 12, 2010 and later added to the active roster. He played in two games for the Bills before being waived on December 11, 2010.

Carolina Panthers Williams was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad on December 15, 2010, and was released on March 13, 2012.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers On July 26, 2012, Williams was signed to a 2-year deal by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.