By John Ingoldsby
Engagment Insider
LOS ANGELES, CA February 13, 2015 – Thomas Williams spent a lot of time on airplanes during his football career, but he could never have imagined how one cross-country flight would launch his personal journey.
He had injured his neck in 2011 as a linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and while flying from Tampa to Los Angeles, where he starred at USC, he began jotting down notes of what he might like to do if indeed his NFL career was closing.
Five hours of furious writing later, he hit upon what would become his life’s work: communicating to everyone what he had experienced in April 2008 when we was chosen in the NFL Draft, and how his dreams became a reality that day.
The articulate Williams started by beginning his own motivational speaking company (www.thomasrwilliams.com), which led to his audience suggesting he turn his powerful delivery into a book.
He then turned that dream into a reality just last August when his book “Permission to Dream” was published, thereby spreading his messages to the masses.
“In 2013 after some of my speeches, audience members approached me to ask when I was writing my book,” said the Vacaville, California native. “I thought about it for a bit, and realized that my story of the crystal staircase that I took to the NFL could make an everlasting impression on peoples’ lives, so I began writing and a year later my book was published.
This is the stuff that dreams are made of, and Williams is walking proof of that reality.
“It all started when my mother went to my sixth grade Parent-Teacher Conference, and the teacher told her that I would likely turn out to be a gang leader or worse,” he said. “When I heard this, I immediately wanted to make him wrong and make her smile.”
Fortunately for him, he had a place to turn – the Gridiron.
“I found a love of football, and through athletics and academics, I earned a scholarship to USC from 2003 to 2007,” recalled the two-time national champion Trojan. “Those years helped create one of my foundational philosophies that where we are doesn’t mean that’s where we end up.”
Soon thereafter, he lived his Draft Day dream and began his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and also played with the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers.
During that time, the driven Williams attended NFL Player Engagement’s (NFLPE) Broadcast Boot Camp in 2009, and followed that up in 2012 by taking NFLPE’s Career Transition Program at Stanford University.
“Both courses were beneficial to me, and I still use what I learned even today, including doing the pre-game and post-game broadcasts for the USC football games,” stated Williams.
But that’s just part of Williams’ work these days.
For his speaker company, he talks to audiences ranging from the military and corporations to student-athletes and local rotaries, where he delivers his thoughts on teamwork, leadership, accountability and goal-setting.
Additionally, he recently created a Player Development Program comprised of five sections (Identity, Resources/Relationships development, Advantages of Being a Student-Athlete, Social Media Etiquette, and Networking) that was held over five weeks at USC.
“It is important to me that I share my experiences to help student-athletes understand they are more than just athletes,” he stated. “It was so well received at USC that I am taking it to the next level this year by holding the program at other institutions.”
All of whom will undoubtedly benefit since Williams’ message is one his audience will all understand someday.
“When I retired in 2012, I went through the dark stage like all athletes do when their career ends, and wondered at age 27 what to do with the rest of my life,” recalled Williams. “But I discovered my other passion to motivate others, and am now as excited doing this as I was playing football.”