thedrifter
06-17-06, 06:56 AM
NFL top pick Williams visits wounded Marines at Camp Lejeune
The Associated Press
June 16, 2006 11:58 pm
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Top NFL draft pick Mario Williams visited wounded Marines Friday at Camp Lejeune, just a few miles from his hometown of Richlands.
The 6-foot-7, 292-pounder signed a six-year $54 million contract with the Houston Texans, with $26.5 million guaranteed the night before the draft.
"The real heroes are right here," said Williams, a 2003 graduate of Richlands High School who also played for North Carolina State. "And that's who I am here to see."
Williams experienced a personal loss when his brother-in-law, Sgt. Nicolas Hodson, was killed in a vehicle accident in Iraq two years ago. Williams said his visit to the Wounded Warrior Barracks was a tribute to Hodson and other Marines.
"This gives me humbleness, knowing this is where I could be and recognizing the pride in this group," said Williams, who was accompanied by his mother, Mary Williams. "This is where it's at. What I do is nothing."
Williams said he had considered leaving N.C. State when his brother-in-law was killed, but his family persuaded him to stay in school.
"You made the right decision," said Lt. Gen. James Amos, commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force. "We're proud of you."
Amos and Maj. Gen. Robert Dickerson, commander of Marine installations in the eastern U.S., gave Williams a book that chronicles the performance of Hodson's unit, Task Force Tarawa.
Ellie
The Associated Press
June 16, 2006 11:58 pm
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Top NFL draft pick Mario Williams visited wounded Marines Friday at Camp Lejeune, just a few miles from his hometown of Richlands.
The 6-foot-7, 292-pounder signed a six-year $54 million contract with the Houston Texans, with $26.5 million guaranteed the night before the draft.
"The real heroes are right here," said Williams, a 2003 graduate of Richlands High School who also played for North Carolina State. "And that's who I am here to see."
Williams experienced a personal loss when his brother-in-law, Sgt. Nicolas Hodson, was killed in a vehicle accident in Iraq two years ago. Williams said his visit to the Wounded Warrior Barracks was a tribute to Hodson and other Marines.
"This gives me humbleness, knowing this is where I could be and recognizing the pride in this group," said Williams, who was accompanied by his mother, Mary Williams. "This is where it's at. What I do is nothing."
Williams said he had considered leaving N.C. State when his brother-in-law was killed, but his family persuaded him to stay in school.
"You made the right decision," said Lt. Gen. James Amos, commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force. "We're proud of you."
Amos and Maj. Gen. Robert Dickerson, commander of Marine installations in the eastern U.S., gave Williams a book that chronicles the performance of Hodson's unit, Task Force Tarawa.
Ellie