Allegations: Leon Williams
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Nevin Shapiro on Williams: Play audio
Miami booster Nevin Shapiro alleges he provided multiple extra benefits to Leon Williams during the player's career with the Hurricanes. Among the benefits he claimed to have provided:
- Leon Williams
Position: Linebacker
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Rivals recruiting rank: Ranked as the No. 11 player overall in the Class of 2001.
Miami career: A rotational player who finally cracked the starting lineup as a junior, Williams became a consistent starting cog in Miami’s defense as a senior. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He is currently out of football.
• Drinks and VIP access in nightclubs on multiple occasions.
• Food, drinks and entertainment in Shapiro's $2.7 million Miami Beach home on multiple occasions.
• Entertainment on Shapiro's $1.6 million yacht and jet skis.
Corroborating accounts
• Yahoo! Sports has acquired a photo identified by Shapiro and a second source as Leon Williams and D.J. Williams on the booster's jet skis.
• Yahoo! Sports has acquired a second photo identified by Shapiro and a second source as Leon Williams and D.J. Williams' mother on one of the booster's jet skis.
In Shapiro's words
• "Leon Williams was D.J. Williams' closest friend. Also, Jon Vilma. They were always together. Leon was in the house, in the clubs, on the boat, on my jet skis. I've got pictures of [Leon] jet skiing with D.J. Williams' mother. He was a guy who was actually born on the same day as me – April 13 – and is from the same area of Brooklyn, New York, where I originally came from."
Nevin Shapiro and a second source said this photo of D.J. Williams (left) and Leon Williams (right) was taken during a yacht outing in the summer of 2003. The two players are on the booster’s personal watercraft.
Nevin Shapiro and a second source said this photo of Leon Williams (holding up two fingers), and the mother of D.J. Williams (identity redacted by Yahoo! Sports) was taken during an outing on the booster’s yacht in the summer of 2003.
Photos special to Yahoo! Sports
Williams could not be reached for comment. When he spoke to Yahoo! Sports in January, he said he could not remember who Shapiro was. "I think I saw him," Williams said. "I'm not too sure. I'd have to see his face again. I never knew him personally or anything like that."
