Former NFL, Ga. Southern player in Savannah pleads not guilty to Jan. 6 charges

Caption

Leander Antwione Williams, identified by the FBI as the man with a “W” on his shirt, is seen on bodycam footage in an altercation with police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Credit: FBI

Former NFL and Georgia Southern University linebacker Leander Antwione Williams has pleaded not guilty to federal charges in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021.

Williams, 31, appeared Monday before a Washington, D.C., judge for an arraignment via Zoom, where he was formally read a recently filed nine-count indictment against him.

Brought by a federal grand jury, the indictment includes three felony charges of assaulting law enforcement officers — among them Capitol and D.C. police — during the attempted insurrection by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

Williams entered a not-guilty plea on all nine counts — which also include a felony charge of civil disorder and a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, among other alleged crimes — and released on his own recognizance ahead of his next scheduled court appearance on Feb. 6.

Williams played one season for the Detroit Lions in 2016, after having played college football at Georgia Southern University from 2011 to 2015.

The arraignment comes a month after Williams was arrested at his Savannah home and made an initial appearance in Savannah federal court, where he was released on a $25,000 bond pending further court proceedings.

It also comes at a politically tenuous time for Jan. 6-related prosecutions, as Trump has said that his administration plans to review them on a "case-by-case" basis, possibly resulting in hundreds of pardons for convicted criminals as well as the termination of active cases like Williams'.

Prior to his professional and college football careers, Williams played at Lovejoy High School in south metro Atlanta's Clayton County.