Hurricanes consider reinstating Williams
CORAL GABLES — The Miami Hurricanes football program is contemplating whether it should allow Avantae Williams to rejoin the team after his felony charges from last month were recently dropped, UM coach Manny Diaz said after Monday’s practice.
Williams was dismissed from the program on July 22 after he was arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated battery on his pregnant ex-girlfriend earlier that week, according to Miami-Dade County’s arrest records.
Those charges, which Williams pleaded not guilty to before being released with a restraining order against him and under house arrest, were dropped last Friday. The state attorney’s office closed the case, according to records from MiamiDade County’s Clerk of the Courts.
Williams has since entered the transfer portal, but his lawyer, Michael Etienne, made it clear to the media that Williams wants to rejoin the team.
“Well, right now we’re trying to get all the official documents, you know, to find out where everything’s at so we can explore all the alternatives that are available,” Diaz said. “We’re trying to get the documents in so we can have all the information so that the decision-makers can make the best decision with all the information available.”
A copy of the arrest affidavit from July stated Williams got into a “verbal dispute” with his ex-girlfriend on July 21. The police report said Williams later “grabbed her by the hair, throwing her unto the bed” before yelling at the victim “get the f—- out.” The report stated that Williams grabbed the victim again and threw her to the ground before grabbing her by the hair and throwing her to the ground outside of their residence, causing “the victim to hit her head.”
The victim, according to the police report, called 911 and was transported to a hospital for further evaluation after sustaining “multiple” bruises to her arms and neck and having two broken fingernails.
The final memo on the case, obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Monday, said the victim was recanting and no longer cooperating with prosecutors, so the case was being closed.
Williams, a 20-year-old DeLand native, was Miami’s top recruit in its 2020 recruiting class and was listed as the No. 1 safety prospect in the 2020 recruiting class by Rivals.
He had to sit out his freshman season in 2020 due to unspecified “chronic and lingering medical issues” that Miami’s medical staff found in the preseason, according to Diaz.
Williams was medically cleared for football activities in March, participated in spring practices and was expected to be a significant player in the team’s safety rotation before being dismissed.