Williams Inspires Teammates

Seeing an opposing quarterback cock his arm and look in Hakim Akbar’s direction doesn’t scare the Washington defensive back.

Seeing an opposing running back heading his way, ball in hand and determination in his eyes, doesn’t intimidate Akbar.

Seeing Curtis Williams? Now that scared Akbar.

Akbar was used to seeing Williams every day. They were roommates, best friends and fellow defensive backs.

But Akbar hadn’t seen Williams since Oct. 28. And his last sight of Williams was terrifying. The Husky safety was in an ambulance, on his way out of Stanford Stadium after being paralyzed by a third-quarter collision with Cardinal running back Kerry Carter.

Akbar and his teammates later learned that Williams had suffered a serious spinal injury that had left him immobile.

When the Huskies came to L.A. on Wednesday to prepare for their Rose Bowl appearance against Purdue, Coach Rick Neuheisel took Akbar and five other players on a brief detour to visit Williams in a San Jose rehabilitation facility.

“Man, seeing him laying there, that was the hard part,” Akbar said. “It didn’t even look like him. He has lost 50 pounds.

“Before we went in there, the coach told us, ‘He’s not looking that good. Make him feel comfortable. Nobody shed any tears.’ ”

Nobody did.

“I was expecting to see him down,” Akbar said. “But he was smiling. He made us all feel better. It was so inspiring. He is handling it so well. It was the same old Curtis, joking around and telling us he would be with us at the Rose Bowl. He made us feel better.

“I couldn’t handle it as well as he has. And I know that easily could have been me. We play the same position.”

Akbar, who loves football, acknowledged that he didn’t love it in the days and weeks after watching Williams become paralyzed on the kind of tackle Akbar makes all the time.

“I didn’t want to go back on the field that day,” Akbar said. “I didn’t want to play for the first two or three weeks after it happened. I wished that the season was over.

“Now I just go out, play hard, and hope and pray nothing happens.”