Former Kansas operating again Pooka Williams has agreed to phrases with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent, a supply confirmed to ESPN.
Williams was not chosen on this 12 months’s NFL draft. In three years with the Jayhawks, he appeared in 26 video games and rushed for two,382 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.
Williams served a one-game suspension in 2019 towards Indiana State after he was charged with misdemeanor home battery in 2018. In line with the Lawrence Journal-World, Williams punched a girl within the abdomen and grabbed her throat. Williams initially pled not responsible, based on the Kansas newspaper, earlier than he later signed a diversion settlement in March 2019 to keep away from a felony conviction.
The phrases of the settlement had been reportedly an evaluation, an anger administration course and 40 hours of neighborhood service. He was suspended for seven months earlier than he was later reinstated by the college.
“My conduct was unacceptable, and I am very sorry to those that had been impacted by my poor decisions,” Williams mentioned in an announcement launched by the college on the time.
That season, Williams performed in 11 video games, speeding for greater than 1,000 yards for the second straight season. The New Orleans native performed in 4 video games in 2020 and was given an invite to the NFL’s digital scouting mix.
The transaction comes 4 years after the Bengals drafted operating again Joe Mixon out of Oklahoma. Mixon pled responsible to assault for the same incident involving violence towards a girl. Mixon has spent the previous 4 seasons with the Bengals and in 2020, he signed a four-year extension value $48 million.
The Bengals didn’t concern a touch upon Saturday about Williams, citing a group coverage of withholding feedback on gamers till they’ve formally signed contracts with the franchise. Williams tentatively joins sixth-round choose Chris Evans as new operating backs added this weekend.
“I am wanting ahead to attending to work and respect the Bengals giving me the chance to return compete,” Williams mentioned in an announcement supplied to ESPN. “I promise they will not remorse it.”