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HaveFunExpectToWin
01-27-2016, 04:33 PM
As you may know, JWill's book is out. I haven't read it, but it sounds like a pretty open and honest telling of the accident and his life since.

He's on Richard Deitsch's SI podcast discussing it here (http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/01/27/si-media-podcast-jay-williams). Worth a listen.

westwall
01-27-2016, 06:39 PM
As you may know, JWill's book is out. I haven't read it, but it sounds like a pretty open and honest telling of the accident and his life since.

He's on Richard Deitsch's SI podcast discussing it here (http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/01/27/si-media-podcast-jay-williams). Worth a listen.

There was also a very recent segment on ESPN in which Jason discusses his motorcycle accident and Coach K's rapid appearance to his bedside. Jason says: "I recognized the walk; he had had hip replacements". Assume it will be repeated in off hours. I hope so.

sagegrouse
01-27-2016, 07:26 PM
There was also a very recent segment on ESPN in which Jason discusses his motorcycle accident and Coach K's rapid appearance to his bedside. Jason says: "I recognized the walk; he had had hip replacements". Assume it will be repeated in off hours. I hope so.

The book (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/life-is-not-an-accident-jay-phd-williams-phd/1118637257/2673351408986?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP2563&k_clickid=3x2563) is titled, Life Is Not an Accident: A Memoir of Reinvention.

Doria
01-27-2016, 07:58 PM
Nice. The NY Times ran an article on the accident and his physical and emotional recovery a couple years ago. It's worth a read, as well. I will probably buy the book, too, when I've gotten a little of my kindle backlog cleared.

Selover
01-29-2016, 12:09 PM
Thanks for posting this. I just ordered one!

Doria
01-29-2016, 12:17 PM
Thanks for posting this. I just ordered one!

Be sure to let us know what you think :D

Indoor66
01-29-2016, 01:24 PM
Jason was on Good Morning America touting his book. Was a good interview.

rasputin
01-29-2016, 02:50 PM
In other news, there are unconfirmed reports that some Carolina student read a book. Details at 11.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
01-29-2016, 03:10 PM
I ordered this book for my pops this week when I heard about it. I'm hoping to get it once he's done with it. I read the first chapter online - it's really easy to forget how far Jay fell how fast. Really happy to see how he's managed to regain his perspective on the universe and get it together.

Indoor66
01-29-2016, 03:17 PM
In other news, there are unconfirmed reports that some Carolina student read a book. Details at 11.

Those reports were found to be total fabrications. Further research revealed that no carowhina students could read, at all, much less read a entire book.

weezie
01-29-2016, 04:21 PM
Jason was on Good Morning America touting his book. Was a good interview.

He is utterly charming. Plus, sartorially perfect.

Billy Dat
01-30-2016, 07:31 AM
As you may know, JWill's book is out. I haven't read it, but it sounds like a pretty open and honest telling of the accident and his life since.

He's on Richard Deitsch's SI podcast discussing it here (http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/01/27/si-media-podcast-jay-williams). Worth a listen.

I encourage everyone to listen to the Richard Deitsch SI podcast interview with Jay, it is pretty explosive. If the book goes deeper and even more revealing than the interview, it is a must read. Among other things, he discusses the following which I had not remembered hearing about:

-A serious oxycontin addiction
-Being hooked on oxy during the time he was trying be an agent
-At least one additional suicide attempt (he had one during his initial recovery when his Mom found him in the hospital bed trying to slash his wrists) at least in part spurred by Kevin Love's famous quote about an agency trying to "ambush" him with Jay Williams at a dinner and Love reporting that he would never trust his career to a reckless young kid who ruined his career via bad decisions
-Cheating on girlfriends
-Partying in the NBA, including detail on his own usage of marijuana and his ongoing belief that it is OK and better for players than painkillers
-The trials and tribulations of being in an inter-racial relationship with a famous person, ESPN's Charissa Thompson
-How he finds it very hard to reconcile the fact that he could be $100MM-$200MM richer if he hadn't gotten in that accident and that his girlfriend, who is around jocks all the time, is being hit on by guys at that level and it bothers him
-How he had no idea what he was doing in his early broadcast days, he didn't know how to prepare and thought he could wing it, and basically said that he sucked in those days
-How he wanted to get into brawls with Doug Gottlieb when Doug would embarrass him on the air for getting stuff wrong

It's EXTREMELY compelling. The kid is so honest. Listening to him, you can still hear that he hasn't completely switched gears, that there is still so much "what if", that it kills him that he's have been a super rich, super decorated jock instead of a media guy grinding just to move up the ladder. I don't know that I have ever heard one of our former players project as much Alpha Male as Jason, and he hurt himself when that Alpha Male tank was still completely full and there still seems to be a lot of juice in that can, there probably always will be. I think as his generation completely leaves the NBA over the next 5 years or so, it'll be easier for him to put his playing career behind him. I applaud his honesty, it's very brave to be this raw and open.

79-77
02-04-2016, 09:24 AM
I encourage everyone to listen to the Richard Deitsch SI podcast interview with Jay, it is pretty explosive. If the book goes deeper and even more revealing than the interview, it is a must read. Among other things, he discusses the following which I had not remembered hearing about:

-A serious oxycontin addiction
-Being hooked on oxy during the time he was trying be an agent
-At least one additional suicide attempt (he had one during his initial recovery when his Mom found him in the hospital bed trying to slash his wrists) at least in part spurred by Kevin Love's famous quote about an agency trying to "ambush" him with Jay Williams at a dinner and Love reporting that he would never trust his career to a reckless young kid who ruined his career via bad decisions
-Cheating on girlfriends
-Partying in the NBA, including detail on his own usage of marijuana and his ongoing belief that it is OK and better for players than painkillers
-The trials and tribulations of being in an inter-racial relationship with a famous person, ESPN's Charissa Thompson
-How he finds it very hard to reconcile the fact that he could be $100MM-$200MM richer if he hadn't gotten in that accident and that his girlfriend, who is around jocks all the time, is being hit on by guys at that level and it bothers him
-How he had no idea what he was doing in his early broadcast days, he didn't know how to prepare and thought he could wing it, and basically said that he sucked in those days
-How he wanted to get into brawls with Doug Gottlieb when Doug would embarrass him on the air for getting stuff wrong

It's EXTREMELY compelling. The kid is so honest. Listening to him, you can still hear that he hasn't completely switched gears, that there is still so much "what if", that it kills him that he's have been a super rich, super decorated jock instead of a media guy grinding just to move up the ladder. I don't know that I have ever heard one of our former players project as much Alpha Male as Jason, and he hurt himself when that Alpha Male tank was still completely full and there still seems to be a lot of juice in that can, there probably always will be. I think as his generation completely leaves the NBA over the next 5 years or so, it'll be easier for him to put his playing career behind him. I applaud his honesty, it's very brave to be this raw and open.


Thanks for this. I listened to the podcast last night and thought it was terrific. Not much about Duke, but still a very compelling soul-baring. As you noted, JW didn't hold anything back. It takes a lot of guts to come clean like that and discuss mistakes, low points, depression, jealousy, etc. I give him a ton of credit.

jgehtland
02-04-2016, 11:24 AM
I finished the book. Definitely worth the read. His story is harrowing. There are things you will read in the book about his time at Duke that will make you think about college athletes, Duke athletes and Coach K differently. Or at least confirm a lot of ideas you may have had already.

The most compelling part of the book for me was two sentences at the end of the chapter describing the awesome ways coach k and his parents helped him through his decision to come back for his junior year. Those sentences: "and I still should have gone. And he should have made me."

Reisen
02-04-2016, 11:59 AM
I encourage everyone to listen to the Richard Deitsch SI podcast interview with Jay, it is pretty explosive. If the book goes deeper and even more revealing than the interview, it is a must read. Among other things, he discusses the following which I had not remembered hearing about:

-A serious oxycontin addiction
-Being hooked on oxy during the time he was trying be an agent
-At least one additional suicide attempt (he had one during his initial recovery when his Mom found him in the hospital bed trying to slash his wrists) at least in part spurred by Kevin Love's famous quote about an agency trying to "ambush" him with Jay Williams at a dinner and Love reporting that he would never trust his career to a reckless young kid who ruined his career via bad decisions
-Cheating on girlfriends
-Partying in the NBA, including detail on his own usage of marijuana and his ongoing belief that it is OK and better for players than painkillers
-The trials and tribulations of being in an inter-racial relationship with a famous person, ESPN's Charissa Thompson
-How he finds it very hard to reconcile the fact that he could be $100MM-$200MM richer if he hadn't gotten in that accident and that his girlfriend, who is around jocks all the time, is being hit on by guys at that level and it bothers him
-How he had no idea what he was doing in his early broadcast days, he didn't know how to prepare and thought he could wing it, and basically said that he sucked in those days
-How he wanted to get into brawls with Doug Gottlieb when Doug would embarrass him on the air for getting stuff wrong

It's EXTREMELY compelling. The kid is so honest. Listening to him, you can still hear that he hasn't completely switched gears, that there is still so much "what if", that it kills him that he's have been a super rich, super decorated jock instead of a media guy grinding just to move up the ladder. I don't know that I have ever heard one of our former players project as much Alpha Male as Jason, and he hurt himself when that Alpha Male tank was still completely full and there still seems to be a lot of juice in that can, there probably always will be. I think as his generation completely leaves the NBA over the next 5 years or so, it'll be easier for him to put his playing career behind him. I applaud his honesty, it's very brave to be this raw and open.

Wow, I knew a few of those items, but many are new. You've really piqued my interest.

My wife and I went to school with JWill, and he even asked her out a few times while we were dating (not knowing she had a boyfriend). We ran into him again in 2009 with his mom in Grand Cayman, and he couldn't have been nicer. I'm definitely going to support him by buying the book.

Tom B.
02-04-2016, 12:31 PM
-How he wanted to get into brawls with Doug Gottlieb when Doug would embarrass him on the air for getting stuff wrong.

Wanting to punch Doug Gottlieb in the face is not a character flaw.

Olympic Fan
02-04-2016, 12:54 PM
I finished the book. Definitely worth the read. His story is harrowing. There are things you will read in the book about his time at Duke that will make you think about college athletes, Duke athletes and Coach K differently. Or at least confirm a lot of ideas you may have had already.

The most compelling part of the book for me was two sentences at the end of the chapter describing the awesome ways coach k and his parents helped him through his decision to come back for his junior year. Those sentences: "and I still should have gone. And he should have made me."

I just finished the book and I would agree that it's a harrowing story, but more importantly, it's the most brutally honest memoir I've ever read.

Jason doesn't spare himself -- he talks not only about his actions (his cheating on his girlfriend, his late night parties in the NBA, his selfish behavior as a rookie in the NBA, his abuse of oxycodone after his accident) -- but also about his character flaws -- his balance of arrogance and insecurity -- and selfishness.

As to the two sentences that are mentioned above, it's interesting to read them in context. Jason talks about how Coach K helped him make his decision and he was sure that Coach K had his best interests at heart -- then adds the comment "and I still should have gone. And he still should have made me."

I wish I could sit down with Jason and talk about that. He explains the comment by talking about the NBA salary structure and how its stupid not to start as soon as possible and get the initial contract out of the way, so that a player can start making the really big money. But many players -- including Jason -- never get to the second contract. They go before they are ready and don't develop in the NBA. By the time they grow up, their career is over.

That was the point Coach K tried to make to Will Avery so long ago -- he wasn't ready to play in the NBA and while he got his initial deal (about $2.5 million in Avery's case) he was soon out of the league and never got back in. K tried to tell him that he needed another year at Duke to polish his point guard skills so that he could play point in the NBA. Was K being selfish or was he looking at Will's best interests?

In Jason's case, would coming out a year early have prevented the kind of reckless behavior that ended his career? Or would coming back to Duke for a fourth year have allowed him to mature to the point that he would have made better decisions in the NBA?

Personally, reading the book, I doubt anything changes in the long run -- Jason (by his own admission) was still reckless and immature for several years after his accident. If he had come out a year earlier or a year later, he still would have ignored the advice of those who loved him and done stupid things on his motorcycle (like racing up to 130 mph on a highway late at night, while inebriated; he was lucky he wasn't killed doing that).

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-07-2016, 07:42 PM
Just finished the book. Would love some PM discussion about it.

luburch
03-08-2016, 07:04 AM
Currently halfway through it. Hope to finish it tonight.

Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed so far. Not bad by any means, but not as good as I thought it would be to this point. Damn expectations.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-08-2016, 07:33 AM
Currently halfway through it. Hope to finish it tonight.

Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed so far. Not bad by any means, but not as good as I thought it would be to this point. Damn expectations.

The writing is not superb, though above par for a sports memoir. The honesty though, is quite bracing.

Channing
03-08-2016, 08:31 AM
The most compelling part of the book for me was two sentences at the end of the chapter describing the awesome ways coach k and his parents helped him through his decision to come back for his junior year. Those sentences: "and I still should have gone. And he should have made me."

I love what JWil has become. But, I think his history is a perfect example against what those two lines mean. Yes, the NBA held promise of unimaginable wealth for JWil. But, one bad decision, and its gone in the blink of an eye. Since he came back he had a Duke degree in his back pocket. He is a legend and has his number in the rafters. There is no question that if everything were to go wrong in his professional life he could come back and represent the school in some manner. Yes, he would have been a year behind getting to his second contract. But, for where he was going, the difference in his career earnings would have been negligible. And, had the ball bounced just a little differently, he may have been a two time NCAA champion.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-08-2016, 09:03 AM
I love what JWil has become. But, I think his history is a perfect example against what those two lines mean. Yes, the NBA held promise of unimaginable wealth for JWil. But, one bad decision, and its gone in the blink of an eye. Since he came back he had a Duke degree in his back pocket. He is a legend and has his number in the rafters. There is no question that if everything were to go wrong in his professional life he could come back and represent the school in some manner. Yes, he would have been a year behind getting to his second contract. But, for where he was going, the difference in his career earnings would have been negligible. And, had the ball bounced just a little differently, he may have been a two time NCAA champion.

I think that is also the most interesting part, but for different reasons. He in NO WAY suggests that Coach K or his parents held him back and kept him in college, but rather that he was poorly equipped to make the decision on his own. In some ways, that's a cop out - a twenty year old kid is an adult, and letting an adult make their own decisions is admirable. Certainly, had K encouraged him to stay, he would likely feel very different about Coach (his admiration and respect for him, the institution and the program is palpable, and reason enough to read the book).

However, it does sort of make context in the theme of the book, which seems to me that he never really learned how to make decisions for himself until very late in his life. His parents were a huge influence - if not pushy. While at Duke, he worked within the confines of the program (to his credit). As a pro, it seems his decisions were largely driven by how he wanted himself to be perceived. Of course, after the accident, a lot of choices were made for him, and then he had to work within a very different set of parameters. Even his name change to "Jay" was made by others.

I'm not sure how much of it is trying to put a good face on where he has landed, but the book makes him see genuinely happy for the first time since his playing days. That certain jives with the Jason Williams we see on TV these days. And of course, it makes the story of his redemption feel more complete for the purposes of the book, too.

Anyway, the fact of the matter is - as a guaranteed top pick in the NBA draft, returning to college means you are necessarily leaving a TON of cash on the table. I mean, all of us can sit here and grouse about these money-grubbing teens jumping to the pros and the value of a degree and maturity, but I can't fathom sitting around your dorm room or apartment your junior year and thinking "huh, I could really be living the life right now, have piles of money, and have accomplished my life-long dream. Instead, I'm sharing a pizza and playing video games."

People seem to paint it as "what about how much your degree is worth?" Well, it's not an "either/or" game necessarily. A sharp kid like Jason with tens of millions of dollars would have always been able to come back and finish his classes at Duke.

To me, the book was about a very talented young man whose mistakes extended far beyond the one accident. He seems, by all accounts, to have really matured and learned a lot from his mistakes and is in a good place in his life today. The "Coach K should have told me to go" sounds to me like a line of regret from a kid who let other people make important decisions for him.

luburch
03-09-2016, 07:01 AM
Finished the book last night. Definitely felt like it picked up after he started to discuss all the challenges he faced post-injury.

Interesting to hear some of the stories he told about being on a bad NBA team.

Henderson
03-09-2016, 10:38 AM
He's on Richard Deitsch's SI podcast discussing it here (http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/01/27/si-media-podcast-jay-williams). Worth a listen.

JWill had me at this point in the interview: "I walked off the set. My hands were clinched. And I wanted to knock Doug Gottlieb the blank out."

Steven43
03-09-2016, 12:21 PM
The most compelling part of the book for me was two sentences at the end of the chapter describing the awesome ways coach k and his parents helped him through his decision to come back for his junior year. Those sentences: "and I still should have gone. And he should have made me."

This is a very disturbing comment from Williams. To look back after almost 15 years and say Coach K should have forced him to leave school after his sophomore year is just an absurd statement, not to mention grossly unfair to K.

I believe that prior to 2002 or so Coach K had made it clear on many occasions that he strongly felt it benefitted student-athletes to complete a degree before leaving college, regardless of prospects for a professional career playing a sport.

Why would Williams expect his coach to suddenly reverse course on this long-held belief? He knew what the exoectations were upon accepting a scholarship offer from Duke Univesity. If he wanted to go pro after his sophomore year it's on HIM to make that decision. To come out with a book 15 years later and disrespect his coach in this manner is truly low class.

Over the years Jason Williams has rubbed me the wrong way on more than one occasion with his comments about Duke or UNC or just in general. I never could quite put my finger on what it was about him that made me feel uneasy, but his comment about Coach K explains it perfectly.

Steven43
03-09-2016, 12:30 PM
My wife and I went to school with JWill, and he even asked her out a few times while we were dating (not knowing she had a boyfriend)

'He asked her out A FEW TIMES while we were dating.' ?!
Why did he need more than one time to get the point?

Billy Dat
03-09-2016, 12:39 PM
I'm not sure how much of it is trying to put a good face on where he has landed, but the book makes him see genuinely happy for the first time since his playing days. That certain jives with the Jason Williams we see on TV these days. And of course, it makes the story of his redemption feel more complete for the purposes of the book, too.

To me, the book was about a very talented young man whose mistakes extended far beyond the one accident. He seems, by all accounts, to have really matured and learned a lot from his mistakes and is in a good place in his life today. The "Coach K should have told me to go" sounds to me like a line of regret from a kid who let other people make important decisions for him.

I agree that he has matured, but I kept feeling like he still has a lot to sort out in his life. Obviously, the accident was a life-defining event and it'll always be with him. But, he also seems like a guy still struggling with identity. As you say, he says he always worried a lot about how he was perceived and tried to follow the expected path rather than the one his heart told him to follow. He was/is very impressionable and could be swayed by those with a strong cult of personality - K, the religious leader he now follows, the biker crowd he fell in with, the supermodels, etc. To his credit, and I think we all agree with this, he shares all of these things in this book - the good and bad, the strengths and flaws. It sounds like there is a lot to be reconciled about growing up in a home where he saw his mother abused by his father, again, more incredible transparency from Jason than many could expect. Despite how anyone feels about the quality of the writing, the content is mesmerizing.

And, in terms of his feelings about K, don't judge until you read the book. It is impossible to come away from reading it without knowing that he holds K in higher esteem then just about anyone in his life save for his mother and his father (maybe).

Duke79UNLV77
03-09-2016, 12:48 PM
And, in terms of his feelings about K, don't judge until you read the book. It is impossible to come away from reading it without knowing that he holds K in higher esteem then just about anyone in his life save for his mother and his father (maybe).

I heard K interview Williams recently on his "Basketball and Beyond" show, and it was very clear that they both still have a lot of love and respect for each other. In fact, Williams said he planned to call K after the interview to get more advice

As for the decision to turn pro, you can certainly second-guess the decision to turn down being a top 2 pick to return for your junior year, particularly when he knew Yao Ming would be the top pick the next year. On the other hand, if lack of maturity is what brought down his NBA career, would he have been still better served by returning for his senior year? Either way, I think Williams has become very good at his job now, seems to have moved forward, and has a lot of good stuff out ahead of him.

Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15
03-09-2016, 12:49 PM
I agree that he has matured, but I kept feeling like he still has a lot to sort out in his life. Obviously, the accident was a life-defining event and it'll always be with him. But, he also seems like a guy still struggling with identity. As you say, he says he always worried a lot about how he was perceived and tried to follow the expected path rather than the one his heart told him to follow. He was/is very impressionable and could be swayed by those with a strong cult of personality - K, the religious leader he now follows, the biker crowd he fell in with, the supermodels, etc. To his credit, and I think we all agree with this, he shares all of these things in this book - the good and bad, the strengths and flaws. It sounds like there is a lot to be reconciled about growing up in a home where he saw his mother abused by his father, again, more incredible transparency from Jason than many could expect. Despite how anyone feels about the quality of the writing, the content is mesmerizing.

And, in terms of his feelings about K, don't judge until you read the book. It is impossible to come away from reading it without knowing that he holds K in higher esteem then just about anyone in his life save for his mother and his father (maybe).

I agree - you can't read that book and not come away with the sense that Jason and K have a very intense and respectful bond.

The story of wishing K had insisted he go pro comes off like a young man who wishes he father had insisted he go to a different college. It acknowledges that Jason wasn't mature enough to decide for himself.

Definitely, as a Duke fan, it was the crux of the book for me.