Chandler Williams, Former NFL Wide Receiver, Dies While Playing in Flag Football Tournament

by Ricky Doyle on Mon, Jan 7, 2013 at 9:26AM

Chandler Williams, a former college standout who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL draft, died Saturday at age 27.

Williams, a wide receiver who was twice named Second Team All-Sun Belt while at Florida International, died while playing in a flag football tournament in South Florida. The league did not release the cause of death, but WPLG Channel 10 in Florida reports that Williams died of natural causes.

Williams never appeared in an NFL game despite bouncing around between practice squads. He spent 2012 playing for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League, and he also had a brief stint with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

“We are shocked and saddened to hear about the passing of Chandler,” Storm team president Derrick Brooks said in a statement on the AFL website. “Our heart and prayers go out to his fiancee Vanitia Harrigan, daughter Tori Williams and the rest of his family.”

Williams left FIU as one of the most productive receivers in school history.

Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@ChandlerW11