Duke Williams owns ‘mistake after mistake’ that led to Auburn dismissal

For the first time, Duke Williams has publicly addressed the abrupt and unceremonious end to his career on The Plains.

In a posting to his Instagram account Tuesday, the wide receiver acknowledged that he made what he described as “mistake after mistake” prior to his dismissal by Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn early last week. Oct. 5, Malzahn announced that Williams had been dismissed from his football program for failing to “meet the expectations” of the Tigers team.

Reports subsequently surfaced that Williams’ dismissal was triggered by a weekend “bar rampage” after one of his friends got the heave-ho from a local drinking establishment over a dress-code issue. It was alleged that Williams had punched a pair of security guards, a bartender’s assistant and an unnamed patron of the bar. That unnamed patron reportedly turned out to be teammate Xavier Dampeer.

Below is Williams’ social media missive.

“I just wanna thank Auburn for everything they done for me and the people that helped me I made mistake after mistake so it’s only right I blame myself... I just wanna say sorry to my family my teammates and the auburn family/fans... Everybody love you when Yu on top but once you hit the bottom all the negativity come out but it’s only human I wish my brothers the best of luck the rest of the season do work... Ima miss everything about AU from friends to teammates especially the fans but I can’t hold back I got to live life I’m going get everything that I desire know matter what nobody or nothing will stop me from achieving my dreams and goals it’s human I will learn from my mistakes #WDE”

The “mistake after mistake” to which Williams copped included being suspended from AU’s bowl game against Wisconsin last year because of unspecified violations of team rules. After participating in spring practice, he was suspended for the early part of summer camp before being reinstated in the middle of August.

The senior had played in all four games this season, catching 12 passes for 147 yards. The former total was second on the team, the latter third.

Despite playing in just 10 of 13 games last season — in addition to the suspension, he missed two games with a knee injury — Williams led the Tigers with 45 receptions and five receiving touchdowns. His 730 receiving yards were second on the team.

The media tapped him as a first-team All-SEC preseason selection coming off that season.