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Update: Police tell the Tampa Bay Times that witness accounts contradict Williams' story.
The story of how Mike Williams got stabbed just got a little weirder. It seems that Williams is telling the police it happened accidentally during a wrestling match.
Source said TB WR Mike Williams told cops he was stabbed accidentally by brother during a wrestling match. Police confirm that's his story.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 24, 2014
I'm not sure how you start wrestling with a kitchen knife, but I guess I can imagine some outlandish circumstances in which this happens. It may well be that Mike Williams is covering for his brother -- but in terms of outcome for this investigation, that doesn't really matter. If the two brothers stick to that story, there's no real way for Williams' brother to be convicted of anything, and this incident should remain as little more than a bizarre footnote in the wide receiver's career.
Meanwhile, Jason la Canfora reports that the Buccaneers are open to trading Mike Williams, but that these issues limit the extent to which teams are interested. The fact that the Bucs are willing to trade Williams shouldn't be surprising: the team has made it quite clear they're not happy with Williams of-field headlines -- and for that same reason, coupled with a decent amount of guaranteed salary, other teams are unlikely to want to part with much for the wide receiver.
Another interesting note: despite what was reported elsewhere, and what Joel Corry told me, it may be the case that Williams' 2015 money is not fully guaranteed. The 2015 salary only becomes fully guaranteed if he's on the roster in the 2015 league year -- which means releasing Williams would suddenly be viable.
@LeoHowell8 @Jason_OTC Just doubled back w/ my source. That $ is NOT fully gtd as of now. NFLPA breakdown of the deal is incorrect.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 24, 2014
Since we're dealing with conflicting reports, here, it's difficult to know which one is right. But it does make a potential release less harmful to the team. Update: This has since been confirmed by Joel Corry.