By Gavin Lapaille

University of Louisville football junior linebacker Willie Williams was dismissed from the team after being arrested last week.

The 22-year old Williams, who had been arrested 11 times prior to enrolling at U of L, was stopped for driving a car with the music playing too loudly on West Broadway, said Louisville police spokesman Phil Russell.

Williams did not pull over until several blocks later at Second Street and Broadway.

He was cited for possession of marijuana, felony tampering with physical evidence and driving without a license.

The detective that searched Williams’ car found him trying to hide a small amount of marijuana, Russell said.

“He basically had the marijuana in his mouth,” Russell said.

According to the Courier-Journal, Williams was told to spit out the marijuana but more was found inside the glove compartment of his car. He was arrested but released on his own recognizance.

U of L spokesman Rocco Gasparro said Williams has hired local attorney Grant Helman to represent him.

Williams was driving with two passengers, but police would not release their names because they were not arrested.

Tampering with physical evidence is a felony that carries a prison sentence of up to five years. The other two charges against Williams are misdemeanors.

“I’m very disappointed in Willie,” U of L athletic director Tom Jurich said in a statement. “I was confident that he had turned the corner in his life and was ready to be a valuable contributor to society and our football program. We wish Willie the best and hope that he can learn from his mistakes and move forward in his life.”

Williams initially signed with Miami University in 2004 as one of the top high school linebackers in the country. He transferred to U of L after spending last season at West Los Angeles Community College.

So far this season, Williams made nine tackles in three games. He was benched in the opener against Murray State University for undisclosed reasons.

Students at U of L were mostly shocked to hear the news of Williams’ dismissal.

“[Williams] obviously has problems,” sophomore communication student Lesley Davidson said. “He needs to get his life in order before he tries playing football again.”

Others felt U of L took the appropriate action.

“I am okay with U of L taking players with backgrounds like Willie Williams,” junior mathematics major Jason Rand said, “as long as we keep on zero tolerance and kick them off the team if they break the zero tolerance.”