Baltimore Ravens third-round draft pick Brandon Williams has traveled down an incredibly tough road to get to the NFL. Incredibly tough, and incredibly smelly.
Williams was a star defensive tackle at Division-II Missouri Southern last season. During the summer when he was not playing football, Williams worked hauling and cleaning portable toilets to make some extra money for his family. His says that job helped motivate him to become an NFL prospect.
“Sometimes, you got a little poop on you,” Williams told the Baltimore Sun on Saturday. “Every time I was doing that, I said to myself, ‘I gotta work harder, I’m not doing this the rest of my life.’ It motivated me to get better.”
Who would have thought poop could be such a powerful motivational tool? However, it wasn’t just the poop that helped. Williams also said he pretended the port-O-potties were offensive lineman as he was lifting them onto his truck to take them to another location. Missouri Southern coach Darryl Daye even used Williams’ summer job as a way to describe him.
“We like to say, ‘Brandon is crap house strong,'” Daye said. “No job is too small for him. He’s what you want your son to be like: honest and true blue, a pleasure to coach. Brandon came up really rough, but he never let anything stand in his way. His mother is a very old-school, stern woman who raised him to be a Christian and to always have that humble mentality.”
Williams’ mother, Shelly Washington, was a single mom who worked at a factory and drove a bus to support her two sons. For six months during his freshman year of high school, Brandon’s family was homeless and mostly lived out of their car. Throughout those difficult times, Washington insisted that Williams focus on school and football.
“Technically, we were homeless because we didn’t have our own place,” Williams explained. “It was so tough, but my mom dealt with everything and she told me not to worry about it and just focus on school and sports. It grounded me, and I never forget where I came from. The long road is a great road to travel because it makes you appreciate everything you’ve got.”
The 94th overall pick signed a rookie contract that could pay up to $2.698 million over four years with a $550,000 signing bonus. He has been able to reach his goals thanks to the support of his mother, and Williams is now hoping to be able to thank her for it. He and his girlfriend also gave birth to a son last September.
“I want to make sure everybody is comfortable and spread the love,” Williams said.
Here’s hoping the former toilet-hauler enjoys a long and successful career.
Helmet smack to Shutdown Corner
