The Wayne County (Michigan) Prosecutor’s Office chose not to charge Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams with carrying a concealed weapon in a motor vehicle, and now the NFL has decided not to punish the former Alabama All-American for the incident either.
After its investigation, the league considers the matter “closed,” Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported.
On Oct. 8, Detroit Police Department patrol officers reported they stopped a car driven by Williams’ brother for speeding. The driver disclosed there were two guns in the car – one on the back seat and one under the front-passenger seat, where Williams was sitting.
The gun on the back seat was registered to Williams’ brother, who had a concealed-pistol license. The other gun was registered to Williams, who did not have a concealed-pistol license.
Williams was handcuffed and taken into custody for not having a CPL. After assistance arrived for the patrol officers and several phone calls were made, Williams was released at the scene without being transported to the Detroit Detention Center for processing.
“I feel that there was probable cause to arrest, and he was under arrest by the patrol officer,” Detroit Police Commander Michael McGinnis said during the review process. “And because of that, he should have been conveyed to the Detroit Detention Center and processed. …
“I want to know if the fact that this individual was a Detroit Lions player, did that play a factor in the decision-making?”
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Williams would have been charged if he had the gun in his possession at the time of the traffic stop. Because he didn’t, it raised the question of if the CPL belonging to Williams’ brother applied to both guns in the car when neither was in direct possession of the occupants of the vehicle.
“Because the case law is silent regarding the specific issue,” Worthy said in a statement released by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office in announcing that Williams would not be charged, “and the legislative intent of the CPL statute does not support charges under these facts, no charges will issue in this matter, and the warrant is denied.
“While no case has identical facts, we can look at similar facts, if possible, to aid us in our decision-making. We really could not recall any case that had facts that mirrored this case. Every case is fact-specific. As always, we apply the alleged facts to the existing law. And the applicable law and its accompanying legislative history is far from clear.”
Under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy, a player does not have to be charged with a crime to face league discipline.
“Even if the conduct does not result in a criminal conviction,” the Personal Conduct Policy states, “players found to have engaged in any of the following conduct will be subject to discipline.”
The list of prohibited conduct includes “illegal possession of a gun or other weapon (such as explosives, toxic substances and the like), or possession of a gun or other weapon in any workplace setting.”
Williams was suspended for violating the NFL’s gambling policy by betting on non-league games while at a team facility, and he missed the first four games of the 2023 campaign.
This season, the NFL suspended Williams for violating the league’s Policy on Perform-Enhancing Substances, and he missed Detroit’s 52-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 27 and 24-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 3 while serving the two-game punishment.
In his third NFL season, Williams had 58 receptions for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns and 11 rushing attempts for 61 yards and one touchdown in 15 regular-season games. Williams had a 19-yard reception and a 61-yard touchdown run in the Lions’ 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders in the second round of the NFC playoffs on Jan. 18.
