How did you react at first?

[T140]

I slept soundly, unknowing. I woke up, perhaps around 7:50 to the sound of my mom coming into my room. She leaned over and told me of Darrent Williams dieing. The words, "Darrent Williams was killed". Seem unreal. They seem like something a bad dream would tell me.

Have anyone here ever had a dream about the Broncos, something bad happening to players or the team? Well this is what that felt like.
I was speechless when she told me, I could only say "wow..." "That's sad"

And as the day wears on I can still not believe it. To think... This man died for no reason. To think, this person is dead. Is unreal.

Tears have come to my eyes more than a few times today, not yet full-blown, though that's only a matter of time.

How did you learn of this dreadfully devastating act, and please share your immediate reaction.

[champbronc2]

I made my thread on my story. :(

[thuglife]

I woke up and read it on NFL.com i started crying immediately and havent stopped yet, its so tragic i follow these players careers, and my heart is heavy today

[Spyder]

I seen it on ESPN early this morning.

I got up put my #27 jersey on and just let the tears roll down my face..

[deer_dance9]

at first i didnt believe it.. i was like oo thats sad... cant be our starter... then i clicked it and i was like wow it is d-will

[ThunderGirl]

We got a phone call that woke us up from my boyfriends dad. From what I could hear of the conversation, I knew something bad had happened. When my boyfriend told me what he found out I felt like I was hit by a train and then I started crying.

[WABronco]

I just found out about 5 minutes ago...I'm crying like a baby right now. God this is so sad...

[Tatum_26]

I was seriusly just like omg. I didn't know what to say. Its hard for other people to understand why we are all extremely sad because we did not even know him. Like I was with my friend when we heard it and he was like wow that sucks, but he really didn't understand how sad it was. I dunno, but it seems like I know him and everything like that. Maybe this trajedy will awaken us from whining about all the little things our playres are doing wrong and we just need to appreciate them. Who knows? maybe yesterday someone was thinking, we should get rid of Darrent, and now he is gone! I am stil in shock.

[Juggernaught]

I woke up and came here to the boards. It upset my stomach. Then I went and ordered his jersey to honor him. I have not bought a jersey since I bought my T. Davis one.

[nebs]

I woke up and went to a Sacramento Kings message board (I'm A Kings fan) and saw "Denver Broncos CB killed last night" on the board. The first thing I thought was "oh my god.. who, what? It's not champ or it would have said 'Champ' " And then I just clicked the link and saw. :(

[steelydenver]

I was very shocked...I couldn't believe it. I'm not a Broncos fan...But I liked Darrent....He was a great kid and a great player. RIP Darrent.

[Cloud13]

I turned on ESPN news and saw it in the little "Breaking News" corner. I just couldn't believe it. My eyes have been teary all day.

[Pandapeep]

I came over to my parents house in the foggy haze of a hangover and my mom told me. I couldn't think of anything to say other then "What?" I still can't believe it. It doesn't seem real.

[ckstorm182000]

I stayed up last night playing Madden and after I just hoped and prayed that next season would be better and that the team would just be better as a whole. And I thought about Dwayne Carswell and how he was in that horrible car accident and I thought I hope this season wasn't too late for one of the players because things happen all the time. We hear about them every year. And for some reason Champ came to mind and how if something happened our defense wouldn't be the same.

So this morning my mom came in and told me that a starting CB for the Broncos was killed and I just got nauseous. And when she told me it was Darrent, I was in shock because I realized it didn't matter who it was that died. Someone died and they didn't need or deserve to. Once she left the room I just cried. I already miss him so much

[champbronc2]

Here is my story


Started off yesterday spraining my ankle in soccer and finished the game with a goal and two assists. We lost 4-7.

Then Broncos lost 26-23.

None of that mattered. None of it came close to this morning.

I wake up. In my head I say "I wonder if people are still being negative on the boards."

I don't log on yet, instead I check ESPN. Commercials. Then I go up one channel to ESPN2.... that's when I saw it. I look at the bottom right corner. "Breaking News: Darrent Williams Broncos CB Shot, Killed" Heart skips a beat. Try to keep my composer and not begin to tear. I hobble down stairs ignoring the pain in my ankle. Tell my brother about it. He is now in shock. He switches to ESPN2. Goes upstairs to get dressed. Shuts the door. I open it and he is laying down on the bed crying.

I take my shower and then my eyes get teary. We go out to eat for breakfast and me and my brother are very down and we speak of splitting the cost in half for a Darrent Williams jersey. We will buy it and get overnight shipping.


It is so sad. Since I am Muslim I pray 5 times a day and this morning I dedicated my prayer to Darrent Williams and his family.

This is devastating.

Then I listen to Tatum Bell's interview and it was so sad. Now I am listening to 850 KOA online.

Very emotional.

R.I.P. DARRENT WILLIAMS

[captainohetha]

My brother woke me up calling me as soon as he heard it this morning and told me about it. I've been up ever since, about an hour now, looking up info about it and reading peoples comments on it. I hear that chiefs fans have been calling broncos fans saying stuff like "only a broncos fan would be do something like this."

How can these people make jokes? No matter what team or player it was, this is a sad event and I cannot stand how some people can be. Killing a person like it makes you a bigger man or something.

[Dean]

I read it as a thread title and thought it was a bad joke. I entered the thread to tell the poster what I thought of him. Unfortunately, it was definitely not a joke. I wish it were.

[broncosgrrrl]

I got up just after 8 and turned on ESPN2 to watch Cold Pizza. I was so shocked and bewildered I ran upstairs and woke up my hungover husband by turning on the tv in the bedroom. He got the "Darrent was shot and killed early this morning" wake up. I then called my father and then my brother with the news. They were also in disbelief. We've been in shock all day and I find myself obsessing over any news I can find....

A sad, sad day in Broncos Country and no way to have to start the new year. :sad: :sad: :sad:

[CB123]

Shocked, in disbelief, confused, sad... words just can't describe this loss. I just hope his kids and mother are able to cope after losing him. :( I just wish anyone assotiated with the Broncos that knew him on a personal level heal as well.

It's just a tough loss to all the people around the world of sports.

[Juggernaught]

I was seriusly just like omg. I didn't know what to say. Its hard for other people to understand why we are all extremely sad because we did not even know him. Like I was with my friend when we heard it and he was like wow that sucks, but he really didn't understand how sad it was. I dunno, but it seems like I know him and everything like that. Maybe this trajedy will awaken us from whining about all the little things our playres are doing wrong and we just need to appreciate them. Who knows? maybe yesterday someone was thinking, we should get rid of Darrent, and now he is gone! I am stil in shock.


////////////

For a long time I used to think that way. Why do people get upset when someone famous dies. They don't know that person or have any thing to do with them, so it did not make sense. One day it hit me. In a way we do know them on a some what limited personal level. Every week they come into our lives and touch us either through tv or the movies and either make us happy or mad by what they do. So now it makes more sense to me.

[broncosgrrrl]

My brother woke me up calling me as soon as he heard it this morning and told me about it. I've been up ever since, about an hour now, looking up info about it and reading peoples comments on it. I hear that chiefs fans have been calling broncos fans saying stuff like "only a broncos fan would be do something like this."

How can these people make jokes? No matter what team or player it was, this is a sad event and I cannot stand how some people can be. Killing a person like it makes you a bigger man or something.

I would really really hope this is not true, if fans from other teams could be so cruel and evil.

... and if it is true... karma is a bizznitch... and it will bite you...

[LiquidBlue]

I wake up, decide not to shower today, something not typical.

Head right downstairs turn on MTV, check my facebook and myspace, chat online for a bit, and my mom tells me something about a Bronco being shot at but not anything serious that she knows about.

I go to Google and type in "broncos player" I knew that would be all I would need, I click on "News Results for: broncos player"

"DENVER BRONCOS CORNERBACK DARRENT WILLIAMS SHOT AND KILLED"

Big hit to the stomach.


I'm just devastated.

[orangeblossom94]

I got up and came to get on the computer...Yahoo is my start page and the first thing I saw was "Denver Broncos player killed in drive-by shooting." My first thought was "OMG, please don't let it be Rod Smith." Then, it hit me that it didn't matter who it was.....it was one of our boys. I started crying and in the middle of my crying, I called my mom to let her and my dad know. She had to get me to repeat myself because I wasn't understandable and she couldn't believe it either....although she did say "I thought it was someone you knew." I may not have known him personally but we all knew him....he was in our living rooms on a weekly basis for two years. My boyfriend came out of the shower and found me sobbing and asked what was wrong....I couldn't say it so I just led him over to the computer and pointed at the screen where it said what happened. He understood how upset I was. Then I started cleaning. I cleaned up my computer desk, the floor around the computer desk, my bookshelves of my old textbooks and moved my new textbooks to where they belonged...it was just something to do to cope with it. Finally, I read my emails from the Broncos discussion group I'm part of and found this message board.

[KS-BroncoGirl]

...shock and the tears are still coming throughout the day. I was unable to watch my first Broncos game since week 5 of the year before we finally went and won a SuperBowl because my neice was getting married and it seemed so much more important than watching the game. Family means so much to me.

I asked a friend to record the game for me and I was even invited to sit down and watch it when I got there. I'd decided I didn't want to know anything of the game so that I could watch the game for the fun of watching the game. Unfortunately I "accidentally" heard a Jets fan in KMart mention that Kansas City had just snuck in the back door of the playoffs so I know we'd lost. I decided just to celebrate the New Year instead of watching the game so that my friend could watch his Bears game. We brought in the New Year together and all was great.

He called me at 9:30 CST and awoke me with the news. I was devastated. The Broncos are a great big part of my life so it does kind of feel like I've lost a part of my family and nothing really matters too much as this is bigger than the game. This is real and it's sad and I am in mourning. R.I.P. Darrent. You will be missed!

[Walker84]

I really just thought I was dreaming, and then I thought who would do this. He's 24 he does not deserve this.

[Drunk Bronco]

i heard about it when i woke up and logged on, then woke my wife up and she started crying,she knows how it is to lose some1 to gang or shooting violence,My WIFE is a very STRONG black woman,but after I told her she started crying,we feel soooooo bad 4 his FAM

[angiew]

Being a Bronco fan from Oklahoma, I've watched Darrent Williams play since his college days at Oklahoma State. My brother called me this morning and told me the tragic news. I am so sorry, and send my prayers out to his family, and all of his team mates. Rest in peace Darrent.....you are definately missed. :(

[JC#6]

I live in New Zealand so I only found out about 20 minutes ago when I woke up and logged on to NFL.com to find out who made the playoffs.

I'm very shocked.

I can appreciate how many of you must feel. Because I live 12'000 miles away in a country that gets little NFL coverage and has a small fan base, and only get to see maybe 3-5 Broncos games per year, I don't feel as emotionally connected to the team as you guys in the states who live and breath it every day.

But to put in perspective, if an All Black was killed I would be devastated.

My thoughts are with Bronco Nation right now.

[JakeGirl]

My sister was checking the internet Pro Sports Daily to see about the game articles, and she said Oh My God. I said..what?? What's up? And then she told me. I just kept crying and saying "oh no, oh no, oh no-- not D Will." Cute little DWill- our little fighter. Listening to 950 Sports Radio in the morning and tried to choke down a coffee. I feel like I'm in a fdaze. This cannot be true - I was hoping someone made an horrible mistake. What a horrific headline to read. What horrible luck - if only he had moved a little or dodged in a different way - maybe he'd only been injured, not killed.

[LbloodOjunkieG]

I went to denverbroncos.com to see what's going on here, and there was Darrent, with 1982-2007 under it. I'm shocked right now, don't even know what to say. R.I.P Darrent.

[evendelae]

Just Sick. I've actually been sick since last night, when I found myself retching in the bathroom during the Fourth Quarter.

So, I woke up and dejectedly turned on ESPN, and the news was in the corner of the screen. I thought I had to be seeing things, so I replayed it over and over, threw up, and when it sunk in, I called my dad. I then watched news. What a terrible start to 2007

He will be greatly missed

[MemphisBronco]

I was asleep when my husband handed me the phone. My aunt was on the line saying one of your players was killed last night - someone named Williams. I sprang up from my sleep trying to gather my thoughts to figure out Williams whose name is Williams and she said Darren I yelled no not Darrent. The tears came and I jumped out of the bed to get to the computer. I am in shock. I can't stop my eyes from filling with tears. This man is no longer with us because of someone else's stupidity. I saw a post from Tatum's comments and agree with him. Stupid guns. Ignorant guys- they don't want to solve anything sensibly. Heck, if it's that crucial, use your fists - better yet just leave and walk away. My eyes well up every time it comes to mind. I am so angry. Darrent will be missed. I hate that I won't see him bopping around the field on game night. Love you Darrent!!

[maruske845]

well i just found out

i woke up and watched the nebraska game..but i often fall asleep

and then came downstairs and my mom said "some bronco got killed" and I didnt belive it

[jmag]

I went to bed fairly early for new years - and woke up a 2 am for no reason. This morning I came to this board and saw a title RIP Darrent Williams , and I said no way, and I went straight to the Denver Post... when I read he had 2 young kids I cried.

[Den21-Bal19]

To be honest, I'm still stunned.

I've taken my lad to watch Liverpool play this afternoon, got home and logged on to a (unreleated) PM from Jaws, and noticed her new RIP sig.............

Log onto my news service and see what's happened..............swore and sat there for about 5 minutes...............unbelievable.

[Marshall#15]

I woke up at 8 am and got on the board. I was scanning the forum home and noticed a thread saying something about Darrent Williams, I was up until 3 am last night so I was too tired to really notice what the thread was about. I decided to seewhat it was about and I started to tear up reading about his death. This is all too sad. RIP DWill. :salute:

[Broncos72690]

I woke up and my mom told me to turn the tv on to ESPN. She told me that a broncos quarterback( My mom is half deaf or something) had been shot and killed.

My first reaction was that some crazed fan had wanted Plummer to start over Cutler so he....

But when I turned it on it said that a Broncos cornerback ,Darrent Williams, had been killed.

I have not been in tears but I'm still in shock and still hoping that this is all one stupid joke.

[TheWookieeBronco]

I came on the boards early this (I live in England) morning and read a post about Darrent Williams our loss in the virtual trading cards section :confused:

I was then confused by the post and i went to General discussions to see threads about Darrent Williams had been killed, i then went to Denverpost.com, Rocky Mountain news and everywhere and saw the articles. I am just stunned, i can't believe it.

[dwil]

the news of dwil was shocking to me, i couldn't believe it.

thank you dwil, RIP... :salute:

[Ncfootball]

I got a text this morning from my sister that asked me, "Did you hear about Broncos Williams?" So I asked her if it was Darrent or DJ and just thought that he got a DUI or something. Then she said "Darrent was killed", and it hit me hard.

It still hasn't completely sunk in for me yet though. I just can't believe we won't see him on the field again. It's a horrible thing to think about, and I can't believe it's going to be true.

I'll miss you Darrent

[Chidoze]

I saw the DW forum about 2 hrs ago. I've been crying ever since then. It's just not right. He didnt deserve that, no matter what. No one deserves to die over an argument. Unfortunately, that's the sick world we live in. This is one of the darkest days I can remember in a while. It really hits home...........

[evolaerok]

I was actually waking up and decided to watch The Sopranos.... I look on my phone to check my fantasy scores when in little text it read, "Darrent Williams Shot Dead", I tuned into espn news and saw the little red box on the right lower screen read the same thing. I teared up and thought of not only his family, but the Broncos entirely. To have the season end on a sour note and to wake in a new year with such tragic news.

[Drew303]

Well this definately hit home for me. I have actually chatted with Darrent on myspace before. I didnt hear of this until I got to work today, when someone came up to me and asked if I was OK. I then asked them what they were talking about, and then they told me. It still hasn't kicked in all the way that this has really happened.

[haywire4broncos]

I wasnt in tears and i dont know why. I felt as i knew Darrent as a friend.
He will be greatly missed.

[BRONCOS_OWN_U16]

all i can think of is

Why?

why would some jack ass do some bs like this

D Will didnt do anything

imagine it being bronco fans that shot him up because their pissed they didnt make the playoffs and blame it on darrent

i hate this day

ugly way to start new years

[White Dragon]

I was up late last night, so I just recently was woken up by my mom who asked me if I was going to get up. I woke up and looked towards her and she told me, "Darrent Williams was shot and killed last night." Right then I was in disbelief and shock. I had just woken up and was trying to process what she'd told me. So I woke up and got up and got on the computer, checking the sports boards that I'm on. Well, as soon as I saw the official story, I started to cry, because like many of you here, feel connected with the team, even though I'd never met him personally, and it also hit me a second way in the fact that he was only a year older than me. I mean this is aweful, and it just doesn't make sense, to ANYONE, I'm sure.

R.I.P. Darrent, My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.

[str8jacket]

It all started with a text message for me....

My friend sent me a text saying "Darrent Williams got killed" knowing my friends i figured that it was a figure of speech and meant he had a bad game.

Naturally i didnt believe it at first, i went downstairs straight to my TV and turned on ESPN, surely they would be ALL over it right? Nope.

So i get the newspaper, and obviously nothing....so i sat there, worrying.

Turned it on ESPN News and in the smallest imaginable space in the bottom right corner there it was.

I'll admit it, i cried. I couldnt believe it. I told my brother and he thought i was kidding, soon thereafter we sat there in shock.

I got up, got in the shower, put my Darrent Williams jersey on that i got for Christmas last year, his rookie year, and here i am, it still hasnt totally sunk in.....im in shock

[remix 6]

i woke up at like 12 pm eastern..went to bed @ 3:30 after coming home from a party. I woke up this morning..my usual..ate breakfast and turned TV on..ESPN already there and they are talking about Favre and at the bottom right it says "Darrent William killed" I was in shock..went online checked ESPN, NFL, message boards. Then I came here to mourn with you guys. As I made a thread , tears shedded down my face. I couldnt believe it..I've seen him as a player but I cant say I was a fan since he was a Bronco and im a Patriot but i felt it..it hurt me. It felt like he was a friend of mine even though I never met him.

[TheWookieeBronco]

I am honestly in shock. I don't know how i am going to snap out of this.

[Den21-Bal19]

I am honestly in shock. I don't know how i am going to snap out of this.

I was absolutely buzzing when I got home from Anfield, but this completely knocked the stuffing out of me

[Signal]

I tried to get onto the forums earlier, but for some reason, they kept lagging. I decided to go onto the homepage and go from there, but when I saw the 1982-2007 part on the screen I was thinking "This can't be good". Sure enough, I saw the news and I was shocked about it. My parents were just standing there with their mouths open when I showed them the page.

[Orange_Crush21]

Is this real? I mean seriously, is this real? I can't believe this.

I woke up late this morning, and came on the computer to start my latest college course. I decided to come to the forums first (like always) and much like Dean posted I though somebody made ridiculous thread to bash Darrent....

And then I realized what happened, Darrent was really taken away from us. Like so many of you, I feel like I lost a friend. Bronco nation is in mourning, and it's going to be so hard to recover from this.

I'm in complete shock and it still doesn't feel like this is real. I mean D-Will is the same age as me. Why was he taken away from us. It's so senseless and stupid. I hate this.

[superFREAK]

on the espn bottom line it mentioned how Green and Mora had been fired and then it switched to college scores. I waited for about another five minutes for it to get to the nfl news, to see if i missed anything and then i saw it

[Orange Crush 16]

I got on the computer about 1:00 pm and my homepage is http://www.theredzone.org/ and I saw the link: "Darrent Williams shot and killed after leaving nightclub" and I had to re-read it again to actually truly see what I was reading. I was not totally shocked right then and there though, it's weird. Now I am shocked and can't believe this has happened.

[Orange and Blue]

I woke up and my dad told me at first I was in shock then I saw it on ESPN and I cried


R.I.P. Darrent Williams :salute: :sad:

[watchthemiddle]

Shock, sadness, anger, shock, sadness, anger....its just a never ending cycle right now.

[The Hamburgler]

I saw it on D Williams 27 Sig when he sent me a pm this morning. I have been in sad a day long and I dont wanna play madden cause you know. I havent cried but I have been sad. I have been searching the news sites all day long looking for answers.

[ClaptonFloyd]

I was checking on my fantasy football team because yesterday was my championship, and I was looking how my team did, and I happened to play Darrent, but I noticed it said NA next to him. I thought how could he be NA if the season is over, so I clicked on the news link, and it said he had been shot and killed. I was completely shocked, I thought there was no way it was possible.

RIP Darrent :salute:

[AvsLiles26]

Naturally I was up kind of late last night because it was was New Year's Eve. And being a college student I don't have school again for 2 more weeks. I usually set the sleep timer on my TV when I'm getting tired so that it will shut itself off. For whatever reason when I fell asleep around 3AM last night, I hadn't done that. So I woke up right around 5AM I think and my TV was on channel 7. In my half-awake state I heard something about a shooting in Denver and then something about the Broncos. I shot up and the story was unfortunately over. My heart pounding, I frantically searched for the remote and flipped until I hit channel 9. Just as I got there, they were saying, "And yes, we just ahd it confirmed that it was in fact Darrent Williams who was killed."

I was absolutely in shock. The first thing that went through my head was, "No f***ing way!" Then as they continued to do the news, they did their normal sports segment, then kind of interrupted themselves and said, "You know, this really doesn't matter that much right now." So after they went over the details again and confrimed that Darrent was killed, I just burst into tears. I didn't know what to do with myself. I ended up not falling asleep again until 7AM. I think I got maybe 3-4 horus of sleep last night.

[Snapping Turtle]

At first all I heard was that he had been shot so I thought he would be okay, and then when I saw the news, it was complete shock for me. I cried a little bit, but I wasn't at home so I was shying away from letting my true emotions show. Once I got home I cried for about an hour, this is truly devastating.

[pay2528]

OMG, I cried and cried. I thought of those special moments watching him play and getting the crowd excited. Watched his exuberance being on the team and have respected him as a player and a young man. He is my son's age , 24, what a tragedy. I cannot even begin to imagine how his family feels. I am just in shock and everytime I think about it I cry. Senseless. Pay

[BroncoBJ4MVP!!!]

I was just going to bed around 5 or something and i see a thread saying: SAD DA IN BRONCOS COUNTRY!

i thought it was gonna be just another thread about us losing!
then it said: D-will killed in a limo!

i said: ***
i thought it was a sick joke!
then scrolled down and ppl were like: no its real!
so i turned to channel 4 and my heart sunk!

he was such a great guy!
this is HOrrible!
the saddest feeling ive felt as a Bronco fan!
losing Darrent is just horrible :(

[quiksilverkid13]

My girlfriend knew he was one of my favorite players. She called me from work and told me, and of course I didn't want to nor did I believe her. Sure enough I got online and it was on yahoo news. I just don't understand, not that I am supposed to. I feel like it shouldn't effect me cause I never knew him, but it still does. I just don't know.

[Jaws]

I found out around lunchtime and have felt immensely sad all day and still can't quite believe it. I've been online on this board pretty much all day. Somehow it has helped been able to post here with fellow fans and share our grief. We are all family and it feels as if we've lost a family member with Darrent's death.

[calibroncogrl47]

I"ve Cried Several Times Today.. Everytime I Think About It. It's Like I Lost Someone I've Know For A Long Time. Even Though I've Never Met Him, As A Bronco Fan He Become A Part Of My Life. Rest In Peace Darrent... We Will Miss You!

[D_Williams27]

I came home from celebrating New Years at my friends house and it was like 2 P.M. and i got on msn messenger and my friend said u know whats worse then the Broncos not going to the playoffs? Darrent Williams is dead. And i was just like no way he is joking but he wouldnt cuz me and him are huge fans. So i turned it to ESPN and it said Broncos CB Darrent Williams shot,killed. I was in total shock and i have been crying all day. I will miss him :sad:

[Jarious17]

I just found out about 5 minutes ago...I'm crying like a baby right now. God this is so sad...

I found out this morning, and have shed several tears all day. This will hurt all of us for a long time!

Rest in Peace D-Will.

[MarvinWillis]

I didnt believe it my bestfriend called me and told me, i thought he was joking. We love you Darrent :salute: RIP

[COskinsfan]

i got a call from a fellow redskins fan in Virginia early this morning....I was woken up my the call so I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not, until I turned on the tv...... :sad:

[Sam24]

I was watching the parade in Pasadina this morning on channel 7 news, just awakened with the news that my uncle had just passed away.
I felt really bad but started thinking about the new year, and the fresh start it would bring and how we'd be able to coup with such a loss when I seen the thread at the bottom of the screen, I was thinking no not him to, this year is getting off on a really bad foot.

I rushed to turn on the radio and got online really quickly hoping to find out that he was ok, in the hospital but ok.

But when I heard the analyst on 950 say that this is not only a loss to the football world but to the city of Denver my heart sank and as I read the headline on news 4's website, I could feel nothing but heartbreak and anger.

I cant think about my Beloved uncle Gilbert enough and I cant think about Darrent enough!
Theres not much we can do but pray offer our condolences.

[Bronco88LilTONY]

I was told by my mother as well. She called me early, she said that one of the broncos was shot and killed last night, my stomach dropped. I thought she was holding the name because of family matters. But then she said darrent williams. I felt saddened for his family, his children, everyone in his life, all the fans. He had unstoppable talent. My heart is heavy today. R.I.P Sweet Williams..

[Astrass]

I jus heard it on the TV in the background.....didn't believe my ears at first till I ran to the TV. Tears are still rolling down my face.

[DimiHorn]

Got home from out of town and saw it on ESPN's ticker.

I was floored.

I've lost loved ones unexpectedly....twice. It is a real real tough thing to deal with. I pray the God lifts his family and friends heavy hearts.

With that, I hope they catch the cowards that did this and put them to death! Justice will be served.

Dimi

[Lachlan]

Incredulous, saddened, speechless...

[AzBroncoFan67]

I got up a little late this morning, came in to see what was going on here. I seen a thread that said something like "Darrent Williams killed....." I figured it was somebody trashing him for his laying yesterday. I opened the thread and my heart sank. I sat there for about a minute just staring, turned the computer off and walked away. There was no way I could have posted anything at that time.

I told my wife after a while, it was almost like losing a family member :sad:

[javon84walker#1]

I had a late night last night...i woke up to the sound of my phone at 2.30 in the afternoon...it was my cousin( a bengals fan )...and so the first words he said to me was "i can't that just happened man im sorry" and so i thought he was talking about the broncos losing to the 49ers and i told him ya man i can't believe the chiefs snook in but then he goes " no, about darrent" and since i watched the whole game yesterday didn't see any injuries so i say what about darrent, only to hear my cuz say " dude darrents dead man"

i will never forget the feeling i got when i heard that...tears dropped from my eyes instantly as i watched it on the news....and then i see javons shirt coverd in d-will's blood which really made me cry more...


darrent i've always wanted to say one thing to you and hear it is...

Thank you for proving that nothing is impossible, and thank you for doing it for all the little people who couldn't make it as a pro

you will be missed deeply by all

[NameUsedBefore]

I felt empty.

[Rob191288]

I woke up this morning to a text and a phone call from my friend, his text said that darrent williams had died and then he also left me a voicemail on my phone which said darrent had died, i didn't believe it so the very first thing i did was turn on the computer and get on the broncos website, to see a picture of darrent pop up and say 1982-2007, i was so shocked, then it hit me and tears started rolling down my face, Darrent was a great player and he contributed so much to this team in his short time in being here. I went to work today with a heavy heart and felt as if i lost one of my close friends, i am still down. I will greatly miss him. May he rest in peace, all the bronco fans love you and miss you darrent.

[BVP]

My mom woke me up this morning, and that was the first thing she told me. It really didn't hit me that he was gone untill I just started to read through all of these posts earlier this morning. I just started to cry after that.

[tnedator]

I was up late last night, 3:30 or so. When I got up around 10:30, I checked my email, and saw a CBS4 Broncos Insider's Breaking News email.

I thought, "hmm, what's that, did they let one of the coaches go." I clicked on the email to open it and read the headline "Broncos' Darrent Williams Shot Dead" and was in a sort of shocked state of disbelief. I then read the story, and as you would imagine, came straight on here to try and find more information about what had happened, as well as to share my shock and sorrow with others.

It is times like these that I am glad I live in a small town in the south, with a very low violent crime rate, most of which when it does occur is domestic and/or family/friend related.

[Hansolo]

I live in California now...

I was making my coffee at about 9am this morning when my friend who is a Patriots fan called me to tell me he was sorry to hear what happened. I was like "what happened?"... then he told me and I was numb. I am still numb... but now as I sit here I do feel like crying. So sad... so stupid...

I will be 35 in 8 days and I consider myself a young man (as I should)... D-Will was a baby. Life is a precious thing... very delicate... although we don't think so until something like this happens.

I am sure that I will tear up quite a few times during this week.
:(


Rest in peace D-Will

[Pathogen]

Complete disbelief.

[broncosgirl311]

When I woke up this morning my brother and sister-in-law told me they had some news to tell me, and I knew by the looks on their faces that it wasn't good news. When my brother said that D-Will was killed in a drive-by, I told him to shut up...he knew D-Will is my favorite player. When I realized he was serious, I was stunned. Now I'm just so sad and disgusted that he has been murdered by cowards. What horrible news to wake up to. My prayers are with his entire family, friends, the team and all of the fans who, like me, are devastated by the loss of a true star.
Darrent, you earned my devoted fan loyalty during your rookie season. I loved how you played with such heart...you were a definite playmaker. Whenever my bro would razz me if you got "burned" on a play, I didn't care. You never gave up fighting, and I admire you for it. Thanks for the memories, D-Will, I will miss you.
:salute:

[Darrent4eva]

I was on a viking chat site humming all happy, and I saw a topic written as "Darrent Williams Shot and killed." I was like, This cant be real, I stared it down for a minute or two seeing if my heart or my eye's would crash down 1st.

Although I am a Vike fan, Broncos have always been my 2nd favorite team. Thats why I have a R.Smith poster on my wall.

[98broncos99]

My first reaction was shock, and numbness. Once i heard Tatum Bell talk about it on Cold Pizza i cryed.... I can't belive the Broncos lost a member of the family this way.... It hurts so bad.... It reminds me of when my favorite basketball player Bobby Hurley was in a car crash in Sacramento (he lived).... I found out right before I was going to school, my mom was driving me to school and i heard it on the radio.... terrible.... it was the same kind of pain. We will miss you D. Will! The world will never get to see your to greatness..... and that is shame... #27 I will not forget you...

[Darrent4eva]

Does anybody have a link to youtube or anything where Tatums talking on CP?

[Astrass]

Does anybody have a link to youtube or anything where Tatums talking on CP?


http://broadband.espn.go.com/ivp/splash?id=2716454

Hurts to listen to this and feel Tatum's pain........

[dandaman23]

I was sleeping and it was around 10 am, my dad opened my door and said that my grandma had just called and told him that a Bronco player had been shot and killed, and I asked him who it was and he said Darrent, and I didnt believe it, I said something like "Your joking me"..And then my grandma gets mixed up a lot so I thought maybe she just saw something and heard or saw it wrong so I immediatly went downstairs and got on the computer and I saw it and I was crushed..And still right now more than 12 hours later I'm still in total disbelief, I mean this whole day I've been telling myself "Darrent Williams is dead" and I still dont believe myself..Its been a very sad New Years Day.. :(

[defense!!!]

Me and my dad were at home waking up to the new year meanwhile I was talking to my mom on the phone from her job. At the same time, I was loading up Firefox and my homepage is Google Customized and I have that SI's Pics of the Week module and saw Darrent Williams pic there.

I scrolled down to see why he was there thinking SI did a "Weird Moments of 06" since it was a pic of his 'fro-hawk. But unfortunately, the caption was 'Death of Darrent Williams'

I stopped talking to my mom and she was calling my name for me to answer. I regained strength to communicate again and told her the sorrow news. As I was telling her, the call seemed to have been dropped so I simply hung up and continued reading about Williams ALL OVER the net. Obviously, here too.

I called my Bronco friends and they all thought I was joking since we always ask ourselves "What If?" questions to be random. "What if Mike Shanahan suddenly retires? What if Denver brings in Shaq to be our new spokesperson?" and such weird things.

They thought I was at it again so I told them to see it for themselves on NFL.com and surely enough, they saw and cried. We cried some more and simply couldn't absorb the fact we lost a player like that. Disbelief, frustration, and many more mixed feelings.

Shocked, mainly. :(

[BroncoTouchdown]

I got onto this forum at about 10:30 this morning, and saw the new section of the forum and was in shock. Then I checked a few news resources, realized that it was true, and cried for the first time that I've cried in many years. This has been the worst New Years Day I've ever waken up to. :(

[kalekona]

Like most of you i ha slept in this morning. When i got up and came out to the livingrom my husband said "Darrent Williams was shot and kille in a drive by" i had to repeat the name just to understand. Then i hit the computer and started checking web sites.. Since i don't live in Denver any more (Seahawks country sad to say) i hape both the DenverPost and the Rockie Mountian news booked marked, and sure enough there it was.
Shocked and a bit numb it really didn't sink in until i saw the picture of Javon, that made it so very real and had me in tears.

Now you have to understand my family already thinks i'm a bit nuts since i've had some issues with retiring players... The family left me alone upstairs for Elways retirement announcment, and just last year i was an emotional wreak for months when Seattle Mariner Dan Wilson retired.. and no i was not to happy to see Eddie Mac hang 'em up either. With each of those i swore no more emotional attachments to players.. It just took too much out of me.. they all gave me such pure joy of the games and when they left something was lost. people thought i was nuts it hurt so bad..but they are all alive and doing what they want. They were not stolen from me or their fans by a sensless act.

I have to say Darrent gave this season spark and was a huge part of bringing the lost excitement for the game back for me. We al had such high hope early on, we had some great new talent.

We really do invest so much time, emotion and admiration in these players and i don't think that is such a bad thing really, it is after all the difference between a "FAN" and a casual viewer... But this really hurts and i'm so far from Denver i get little news and this board as always allowed me to grieve with a community that understands..
Thanks to you all for being here, for sharing the heart ache and for understanding that for bronco fans these guys are much more than a team to us. They are family.

[Broncos4evr1965]

I was just watching the news an they said, some player was killed. I looked at the picture of Darrent and could not believe it was him, I figured it was someone from another team(which also would have been very said). I finally realized it was him, I cried...It was like loosing a brother. My heart and prayers go out to his family. Not only was he part of a promising Bronco future, but he was a good man. That, is a loss for all...

[broncophan]

I was actually on this message board about 5 in the morning when someone posted the sad news.......was in dis-belief.......searched the web right away for the story and could not find anything.....and hoped it was not true................

[Broncofan-13]

I found out at 5 AM my time, while going to work. It threw me out of whack the entire day. Just thinking about how trivial some things seem now that this has occured.

To Darrent Williams' family- I am not a praying man, but My heartfelt condolences go out to you. please know that we all are there for you, and will help in any way we can. My heart goes out to you.

[Skywalker]

I was sitting on my couch when my stepdad came over and told me one of Denver's Cornerbacks was killed.

At first I kept thinking about Champ...and then he told me it was someone that was younger than Champ...

At this point I was going through every channel, waiting for news on ESPN...and no one was talking about it.

Then NFL Primetime came on...

I'll admitt I cried. 24 is too young to die.

The whole night I think I had my mouth open and my eyes were wide. I couldn't believe it. I still can't.

Thank you Darrent for these 2 great years here. You proved everyone wrong from the begining...with everyone saying you were just a returner. Rest In Peace.

[Day1BroncoFan]

My wife almost always wakes up before me. When she heard me stirring around she came in and told me, she said she wanted to tell me rather than me hearing it some other way. My wife would never kid me about something like that, so I knew it was true. I still had trouble with it and immediately went on line to find out whatever I could. The first place I came was to Broncomania, since I'm in SoCal I knew I could find more here faster than on TV. The next thing I did was to pray for his family and the rest of the Broncos players.

Now it's the next day and I still feel tears welling up when I think about it. When I found out he has 2 small children I almost cried. This is very sad, a senseless death. I can't imagine why someone would do such a thing as this to anyone.

[Adrenaline]

I woke up late from the new years eve events.

I logged on my computer to see what happened with the Broncos game (because I didn't get to watch it) So before I go on the nfl score board to see stats of the game I see a Broncos tab on nfl.com.

This is where I got a shiver. "Broncos CB Williams shot, killed". At first I thought it may have been a former bronco player, then for some reason I started getting really scared if it was D.J or Darrent.

I Opened the tab and was completly shocked. I had to read it twice. I came straight here, I didn't know where else to go other then to grieve with my bronco brothers....

:(

[BroncoManiac_69]

I was watching the Capital One bowl and when they said "coming up at halftime, the story of the Denver Bronco back corner that was shot and killed" I was like WHAT??????

The first thing that came to mind was why on earth would Darrent put himself in harms way. I thought gang related stuff. This was before I knew of any facts.

Then, I thought. OMG. I hope this isn't a disgruntled fan pissed off because we lost the game.

Then I thought, there will be circumstances come out of this story because it just didn't seem to be a "random" act of violence to me. Especially with other Bronco players in the limo.

Right now... I don't know what to think. I along with everyone here WANTS ANSWERS!

[SmithOverTO]

I logged onto ESPN.com to check my fantasty team...and saw the headline. I was stunned. And tearful, and sick...I mean this was a kid I watched every Sunday...and boom he was gone.

[bry422]

Woke up about 7 AM EST that morning. Logged into the forum to get the reaction from other fans about the debacle against SF the night before. I noticed a strangely worded thread at the top of the forum, something like "Sad day in Bronco land - death". I opened the thread and that is how I found out. I then turned on ESPN2 (Mike & Mike in the Morning) and got confirmation.

I was able to keep it together until I returned to the message board a few hours later. I started reading more posts from other fans...then some tears started to flow...

[champ24girl]

At first I saw the headline on prosportsdaily.com at 8am or so new year's day, i went there looking for game analysis and stared in disbelief at the headline, not wanting to believe it. And then I cried and asked why over and over again. I'm glad I went by Invesco later in the day to leave a note and see the candles that other fans had left in Darrent's honor.

[sbutk]

My dad came in and asked me if I'd seen the news yet that morning. I hadn't, so he simply said Darrent Williams was shot. My initial reaction - besides Holy S*** - was that this quite obviously had to be the work of some disgruntled fan. Afterall, I know a lot of us had criticzed Darrent's on-the-field play in some poast games, and I assumed some a**h***, now that we were out of the postseason, let his frustration get way, WAY out of hand. Some people need to be reminded that football is just a game, and a loss can never be pinned squarely on the shoulders of a single person. ...Anyway, as more and more evidence from the crime was disclosed, it became clear to me that this was not at all the explanation for Darrent's death. Shots were sprayed blindly into the sealed-up limousine, so we may never know who the real target was, or even if the shooter actually intended to kill anyone (as opposed to just being a dangerous jerk). One thing is for certain, I will never forget D.W., the promise that he showed for developing into an elite player, and his love for his family/community.

WE SALUTE YOU, #27 DARRENT WILLIAMS. MAY YOUR MEMORY NEVER, EVER DIE.


:salute:

[Bronco4l1fe]

I was told that we lost one of our Broncos...then I thought who got fired/traded...and thought naaa could not be that, then I thought of Foxworth, and what happened to him in the locker room, then I was told that it was Williams and I have been shocked, and sad and hooked on any information ever since. I hope that who ever done this is caught soon so they can be brought to justice.

[michwill7]

My husband came in and told me to wake up and told me that Darrent had died in a drive by shooting. It was very shocking I didn't believe him until I turned on the tv and saw it for myself. Now it is 3 days later and it still does not seem real.
God bless the Williams family and every one in the limo. :salute:

[OrangeCrush4082]

I woke up Monday morning after a good night of sleep in Phoenix. Me and three of my buddies were in town for the Fiesta Bowl to see the Boise State Broncos take on the mighty Sooners.Ususally after a Denver loss I am in the tank for 2-3 days and this one was even more devastasting with not making playoffs.But after a good night's sleep(all four of us were in a crowded motel room to save money and it was my turn for the mattress) I woke up with the intention of putting the loss behind me and ignoring the negativity of the message boards.

One of my buddies turned on ESPN and I got the shock of my life.Darrent Williams shot and killed outside a Denver nightclub.Did they say "shot" or "shot and killed" ? I screamed "What!! " at the top of my lungs and bolted out of the rooms to get some support from my Broncos family in such a tragedy and the motel computer couldn't get through. I took a walk and shed a tear and thought about all the joy that Darrent brought to me as a Bronco fan.

A home loss seems so inconsequential when compared to a young man's life and the death of Darrent could forever alter my perceptions of Broncos victories and losses.

My condolences go out to Darrent's children and family and I know that they will be well taken care of by Broncos nation. I am confident that his killer will be brought to justice and he will have to answer to God as to why they killed one of his special children.

Darrent you have been called home to serve a special service to the Lord Almighty. Maybe God needed a CB/kick returner for his football team or Jesus wants to ask you what's up with the hair.

I look forward to the day we meet up in Heaven and you can describe to me how you made it to the NFL as a 5"8 cornerback when I am 6"6 and I can't even dunk.Darrent you have made the absolute most of your abilities and you will never be forgotten.

[slr777]

I have been working nights so I got up around 4 PM to get ready for work I logged on the internet and on home page of comcast there is was about Darrent I spent the next 15-20 mins digging around the internet trying to learn what I could about it before I had to go to work.

[sbutk]

I woke up Monday morning after a good night of sleep in Phoenix. Me and three of my buddies were in town for the Fiesta Bowl to see the Boise State Broncos take on the mighty Sooners.Ususally after a Denver loss I am in the tank for 2-3 days and this one was even more devastasting with not making playoffs.But after a good night's sleep(all four of us were in a crowded motel room to save money and it was my turn for the mattress) I woke up with the intention of putting the loss behind me and ignoring the negativity of the message boards.

One of my buddies turned on ESPN and I got the shock of my life.Darrent Williams shot and killed outside a Denver nightclub.Did they say "shot" or "shot and killed" ? I screamed "What!! " at the top of my lungs and bolted out of the rooms to get some support from my Broncos family in such a tragedy and the motel computer couldn't get through. I took a walk and shed a tear and thought about all the joy that Darrent brought to me as a Bronco fan.

A home loss seems so inconsequential when compared to a young man's life and the death of Darrent could forever alter my perceptions of Broncos victories and losses.

My condolences go out to Darrent's children and family and I know that they will be well taken care of by Broncos nation. I am confident that his killer will be brought to justice and he will have to answer to God as to why they killed one of his special children.

Darrent you have been called home to serve a special service to the Lord Almighty. Maybe God needed a CB/kick returner for his football team or Jesus wants to ask you what's up with the hair.

I look forward to the day we meet up in Heaven and you can describe to me how you made it to the NFL as a 5"8 cornerback when I am 6"6 and I can't even dunk.Darrent you have made the absolute most of your abilities and you will never be forgotten.


HAHA! Nice bit of humor. Thanks, I think we all could use some of that right about now.

[BlackFire89]

I was woken up by my dad asking if I wanted breakfast, & then he told me, "Darrent Williams was killed.." I was pretty much still asleep :yawn: , but said to myself, "WHAT!? What did he just tell me?" :speech: Then I slept for a few more and woke up to get on the internet to find out the whole story. :sick:

[BroncoNic]

My family has always spent New Year's day at my grandma's house. Eating and watching college football. By the time I got myself, my husband and my two kids up and ready for the day, it was time to go and I didn't have a chance to get online at all. I was at my grandma's and my brother (who is a KC fan, but I love him anyway ;) ) came in and told me and my husband that Denver had lost a player. I asked who and he said Darrent Williams. My initial reaction was that he had been traded. I said "Where the hell did he go?" and my brother said he was shot and killed. I was stunned. I had just been telling my mom that I thought he was going to be as great as Champ. I said that Darrent was keeping a close eye on Champ and was learning from the best so he could some day be the best. When we got home, I got online and checked MSN. I couldn't believe it. I still don't. Not really. It's just offseason. Denver is done for the year, but they'll be back in the fall and Darrent will be there with them. #27. Part of our great CB duo.

[Orange RAGE]

I woke up Monday morning after a good night of sleep in Phoenix. Me and three of my buddies were in town for the Fiesta Bowl to see the Boise State Broncos take on the mighty Sooners.Ususally after a Denver loss I am in the tank for 2-3 days and this one was even more devastasting with not making playoffs.But after a good night's sleep(all four of us were in a crowded motel room to save money and it was my turn for the mattress) I woke up with the intention of putting the loss behind me and ignoring the negativity of the message boards.

One of my buddies turned on ESPN and I got the shock of my life.Darrent Williams shot and killed outside a Denver nightclub.Did they say "shot" or "shot and killed" ? I screamed "What!! " at the top of my lungs and bolted out of the rooms to get some support from my Broncos family in such a tragedy and the motel computer couldn't get through. I took a walk and shed a tear and thought about all the joy that Darrent brought to me as a Bronco fan.

A home loss seems so inconsequential when compared to a young man's life and the death of Darrent could forever alter my perceptions of Broncos victories and losses.

My condolences go out to Darrent's children and family and I know that they will be well taken care of by Broncos nation. I am confident that his killer will be brought to justice and he will have to answer to God as to why they killed one of his special children.

Darrent you have been called home to serve a special service to the Lord Almighty. Maybe God needed a CB/kick returner for his football team or Jesus wants to ask you what's up with the hair.

I look forward to the day we meet up in Heaven and you can describe to me how you made it to the NFL as a 5"8 cornerback when I am 6"6 and I can't even dunk.Darrent you have made the absolute most of your abilities and you will never be forgotten.

I read that D-Will could dunk also!

Living in Denver and Dallas most of my life, I learned a long time ago that I will not go out to LoDo, the West End, Lower Greenville, or Deep Elum in Dallas on New Year's Eve. I was skiing in Monarch and was trying to sleep in our room @ Monarch Lodge. The walls are paper thin and I heard the TV from the room next to me talk about the incident. I was hoping that I was just dreaming and stayed there for a few minutes before I decided to turn on the TV to see unfortunately that it was true.

Something stupid and tragic usually happens somewhere on New Year's Eve...

[BroncosorBust]

I was in disbelief much the same way I was when it was announced that Dale Earnhardt had past away from his accident.

[RaiderHater9899]

I slept soundly, unknowing. I woke up, perhaps around 7:50 to the sound of my mom coming into my room. She leaned over and told me of Darrent Williams dieing. The words, "Darrent Williams was killed". Seem unreal. They seem like something a bad dream would tell me.

Have anyone here ever had a dream about the Broncos, something bad happening to players or the team? Well this is what that felt like.
I was speechless when she told me, I could only say "wow..." "That's sad"

And as the day wears on I can still not believe it. To think... This man died for no reason. To think, this person is dead. Is unreal.

Tears have come to my eyes more than a few times today, not yet full-blown, though that's only a matter of time.

How did you learn of this dreadfully devastating act, and please share your immediate reaction.
I was the first one up. I was still disappointed with the sunday loss. I had logged on to my computer and checked the msn sports section I was reading an artical about the games and noticed the list of headlines at the bottom. As I scrolled through the them I noticed "Denver Bronco killed in Monday Morning Shooting". Shocked, I quickly scrolled through the page reading in disbelief. Suddenly all of my anger and resentment towards the Broncos and their loss melted away. I sat in disbelief and eventually started crying. Eventually anger came. I couldn't believe someone could take Darrent's life. He was a great person and this was the last thing he deserved. If the killers are disgruntled "fans", they should be ashamed of themselves for calling themselves fans because no true Denver Bronco fans would do such an act. I hope his killers are brought to justice soon. Darrent was an incredible man. He was a fantastic football player. May he rest in peace :salute:

[ROCKIES]

In a word..."SHOCKED"!

[Bronco_Kat]

We were driving back to New Mexico after watching the game the day before. My daughter contacted me on my cell phone and I was just in "shock". I took my digital camera with my zoom lense to the game and have several pictures of D-Will that I will cherish. I kept going over all the photos I had taken looking for number 27. We got to watch him play his last game in person....what an honor.

[Raidersuck]

I awoke at about 6:45am, turned on Channel 9 news and saw something about "Williams being in a limo downtown" flash across the bottom of the screen. My girlfriend asked which Williams I thought it was...DJ or Darrent and what happened to them. I said probably a car accident,then they ran another piece about him being dead and it really just took my breath away. We watched the game on Sunday and cheered when he almost made the interception in the endzone and also when he broke the good return on a punt even though it looked like he was going to be bottled up. It was and still is so hard to believe that he is gone. He was my favorite Bronco & from all accounts was a great person. I guess God just needed him more than the Broncos did...Rest in Peace Darrent and thank you for all that you did