Williams Starts Road to Try Return to USC

As expected, All-American receiver Mike Williams announced Wednesday that he wants to return to USC for the 2004 season and is seeking reinstatement of his NCAA eligibility.

Williams -- who left school in February and declared for the NFL draft -- said in a radio interview that he has cut ties with sports agent Mike Azzarelli and has signed paperwork provided by USC that will officially start the reinstatement application process.

Williams could not be reached for comment, but he told former USC football player Petros Papadakis of KMPC (1540), “The paperwork that needed to be started has been started.”

Williams, 20, said he was aware the NCAA might not rule in his favor. “By no means is this a slam dunk,” he said.

Williams, who caught 30 touchdown passes in his first two seasons, made himself available for last April’s NFL draft and hired Azzarelli after a U.S. district court judge ruled in favor of former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, making all underclassmen eligible for the draft. But the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ultimately overturned the ruling, leaving Williams’ football career in limbo.

Azzarelli initially said that he would file a lawsuit against the NFL on Williams’ behalf, but he said Tuesday that no legal action was pending, and he advised Williams to seek reinstatement.

Williams said he was disappointed by the outcome of his attempted foray into the NFL -- “It’s no secret it was a raw deal,” -- and alluded to possible future litigation against the league if the NCAA does not reinstate his eligibility.

But he did not seem to regret his decision to pursue a pro career.

“If I could do it again, I’d probably see my chance, and I’d probably still take it,” he said. “It just didn’t work out on a technicality. I don’t think it was bad decision. I don’t think it was bad business move or a bad career move. It just didn’t work out.”

Williams said he is prepared to accept any conditions the NCAA requires to regain his eligibility.

“I’m not just going to walk in the door scot-free and just start playing football,” he said.

According to NCAA spokeswoman Kay Hawes, schools must first declare a student-athlete ineligible to seek his reinstatement. The university then must provide details of what transpired, what rules might have been broken and other mitigating circumstances. Upon receiving the application, the NCAA’s student-athlete reinstatement staff at the organization’s headquarters in Indianapolis will research case precedent and several other factors, including whether Williams has repaid any benefits he received from Azzarelli or other sources.

Once the reinstatement staff renders a decision, the university has a right to appeal to a five-member reinstatement committee, which is made up of athletic officials from across the country.

In a separate process, USC also must address Williams’ academic status with the NCAA. Williams, who is not enrolled in summer school, said he has signed a request asking the NCAA for a “progress toward degree waiver.”

Speaking to reporters at USC’s Heritage Hall, Coach Pete Carroll said: “This is not just an overnight situation. It’s going to take some time for the information to go back and forth and be presented properly.”

Asked if he was confident that Williams would be reinstated, Carroll said, “I’m confident that the process is really ready to go.”

Williams left USC amid controversy after he criticized teammates in a story that appeared in the Daily Trojan, the campus newspaper.

But senior cornerback Ronald Nunn echoed several teammates when he said Williams would be “welcomed back with open arms.”

Quarterback Matt Leinart said he was happy that Williams had begun the process for a possible return. “I’m hoping everything just kind of falls back into place,” Leinart said in a phone interview. “If he comes back, I think the transition will be smooth.”