Javon Walker Breaks Silence, Tells HBO About Darrent Williams Dying In His Arms

Saturday, August 11th 2007, 5:26 pm

By: News On 6

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) _ Denver Broncos wide receiver Javon Walker says he still has the bloodied shirt from the night teammate Darrent Williams died in his arms after a drive-by shooting on New Year's Day.

In his first public comments about Williams' unsolved death, Walker tells HBO's ``Real Sports'' in a segment to be aired Tuesday night that he keeps the unlaundered shirt as a reminder of his friend and of the fragility of life.

Interviewer Andrea Kremer asks Walker about showing up to Broncos headquarters about 10 hours after Williams' slaying while still wearing his bloodstained clothes.

``I still have those clothes,'' Walker replied.

Asked why he hadn't washed them, he said, ``It's just something that reminds me every day of what could happen and this is what happened to my friend. And this is like ... what's left of him is on my clothes.''

Walker told The Associated Press on Saturday that the interview with Kremer was the only time he planned on talking publicly about the Williams' slaying.

Williams was a rising 24-year-old star who had just completed his second season in the NFL when the stretch limousine he was riding in was sprayed with bullets after leaving a nightclub in downtown Denver where there had been an altercation between people in Williams' group and suspected gang members.

No charges have been filed in the case, although police believe several men in custody on federal drug charges have information about Williams' slaying.

``Real Sports'' said another Broncos receiver, Brandon Marshall, and his cousin were partying with Williams' group that night and began spraying champagne around, ``some of which hit a club patron and his friend, who confronted Williams and his entourage.''

Those men flashed gang signs and were escorted out of the club, said members of a rap group from Williams' hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, who were with him that night.

Walker said he didn't see the encounter inside the club but saw trouble brewing when he left at closing time. Marshall and his cousin were exchanging heated words with two men, he said. The rappers said it was the same men who had been kicked out of the club earlier that night.

After Williams and Walker both tried to intervene, Williams told Walker to ride with him in his Hummer limousine, and they drove off into the night, Walker said.

Less than a mile away, Walker said he was turning up the music when Williams suddenly fell into his lap.

Walker said he pushed Williams away and told him to quit messing around _ and that's when he saw blood spurting from Williams' neck and heard the other gunshots.

Walker said he held Williams close and tried to stop the bleeding.

``All I remember at that point in time was he was just looking up at me and I was just like, 'I got you, Dee, I got you, Dee. I got you, Dee,''' Walker recounted. ``So, the limo went off the road into the side of the snow. I just remember grabbing him, pulling him out the limo.''

Walker said he didn't know if he should run with Williams and worried if ``these dudes were going to try to finish us off?''

``You don't know what to think,'' Walker said, ``to have somebody die in your arms and you know you're the last person he hugged.''

Walker said he didn't attend Williams' funeral in Fort Worth with the rest of the Broncos ``because all it was going to do was just bring back memories of something I didn't want to feel again.''

He said it had been hard enough when the Broncos held a private memorial service at team headquarters and he didn't know what to tell Williams' mother, Rosalind Williams, as she hugged him.

Instead, Walker went to Las Vegas, fearful, he said, for his own life in case the shooter wanted to ``finish everyone off'' who was in the limo.

Walker, who joined the Broncos in a draft day trade from Green Bay last year, said at first he didn't want to keep playing in Denver.

He said he doesn't need any grief counseling, but acknowledged he'll probably never put the tragedy behind him: ``Maybe when I see him in heaven, I can ask him, maybe put it behind me then.''

Coming off a torn knee ligament that wiped out most of his 2005 season, Walker piled up 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns on 69 catches last year.

He's had a stellar training camp and has steadfastly refused to talk about anything other than football. He told The AP on Saturday that last year was just of glimpse of what he can do on the field.

``Obviously, last year I was coming in and trying to rehab and learn the offense and get familiar with my teammates. This year, is just boom, full-speed, all-go ahead,'' he said. ``I feel good. I'm healthy. Nothing's wrong. And I'm ready to take off from a fast start.''

Related Stories:

1/2/2007 Darrent Williams Mourned

1/3/2007 Broncos Players, Coaches Grieve For Slain Cornerback Darrent Williams

1/5/2007 Denver Police Get Warrant To Search SUV In Williams Slaying

2/3/2007 Person Of Interest In Williams Case Is Sentenced On Parole Charge

7/6/2007 Person Of Interest In Williams Case Now In Federal Custody

8/1/2007 Denver's Walker Says He's OK, Won't Talk About Death Of Teammate