Why DeAngelo Williams refuses to play football for the Dallas Cowboys

Story by Yahoo Sports
Written by Jay Busbee

You’ve got to love a guy with principles.

DeAngelo Williams, a multidimensional, utilitarian running back who totaled 343 yards on 98 carries in nine games for Pittsburgh last year, is looking for a job. And while backs of his age and skill set don’t necessarily have the pick of teams from which to play, they can’t always afford to be choosy, either … which makes his staunch refusal to play for four specific teams a bit fun to consider.

Speaking to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Williams ran down the list of reasons for why a team might get stricken from his play-for list. First up, Carolina, Williams’ home for the first nine years of his career. Williams’ time in Carolina ended ugly, and so he won’t be going back.

“I had no problems with getting fired, but there are things that went on there that I didn’t like—and I still don’t like to this day,” Williams said. “There’s no point in me going back there. You’re an ex for a reason, right? You don’t go back to exes, and that’s just where I’m at there.”

Next, Cleveland. That’s just simple numbers. “They don’t have a history of winning,” he said. “I’m not sure about all of the championships they won before the Super Bowl was the Super Bowl, but in my lifetime, I haven’t seen them have a winning season.” (Fact check: Cleveland went 10-7 in 2007, and we assume Williams is older than nine years old. But the point stands.)

With the Browns, it wasn’t personal. But with Jacksonville, the next team on Williams’ no-play list, it got personal in a hurry: “I can’t think of anything positive about that organization outside of the fact that they have pools in the stadium.”

But it’s Williams’ takedown of the Cowboys that’s the most fun. A child of the ’80s and a fan of the 49ers, Williams said he couldn’t see himself wearing the Dallas star … primarily because of the Dallas fans.

“The Cowboys, they win. They just don’t ever show up during the playoffs,” he said. “They always disappear in the playoffs. I’ve got a great depiction of the Cowboys’ fan base. During the regular season last year, they were on Cloud Nine. You couldn’t tell them anything because they were going to win the ‘ship—that’s all they said. Fans just got extremely super annoying. Then, the minute they lose, they either got cheated, somebody was hurt—the excuses start flowing. It’s just amazing to me. That fan base just in general can’t handle defeat.”

Man, that’s simply awesome. We hope Williams catches on somewhere if only to listen to the Dallas fans show their appreciation. And if not, he’s always got wrestling to fall back on.