Former Man United star Brandon Williams breaks his silence after receiving suspended jail sentence for dangerous driving - and drops hint over his future in football
Brandon Williams has stated his intention to restart his football career after he was handed a two-year suspended jail sentence for dangerous driving on Friday.
The former Manchester United defender had been 'driving erratically' in his Audi A3 before hitting a Ford Fiesta and careering into the central reservation of the A34 in Cheshire at almost 100mph.
Williams admitted he had been trying to show off to a female passenger who was sitting next to him, and a witness is said to have filmed him with a balloon by his mouth. Prosecutors said it was 'fortunate' nobody was seriously injured or killed.
Judge Eric Lamb also banned Williams from driving for three years and ordered him to do 180 hours of unpaid work.
The homegrown Man United talent announced last June that he would leave the club at the end of his contract, and when the incident took place - in August 2023 - Williams had been on loan at Ipswich Town.
But despite being now without a club, the 24-year-old remains optimistic about his prospects.
'I would like to thank my legal team headed by Richard Littler KC and Philip Williams of Blackfords LLP for establishing that I was not under the influence of any substance at the time of the accident,' Williams shared in a statement via his legal representatives as he spoke for the first time on Tuesday.
'I have always accepted that my driving that day fell below the standard that is expected of me.
'It was never my intention to cause injury to anyone but I am responsible for the standard of my driving. I make no excuses.
'I have learnt from this experience and will ensure there is no repetition.
'I wish to apologise again to those who were involved in the accident. Now that the case has concluded I look forward to resuming my career with a new team later this year.'
Judge Lamb, sitting in the Chester Crown Court, told Williams 'there was no reason for driving in the way you did' but said there was 'strong personal mitigation' after committing the offence at a time of depression.
Williams, who had been partying shortly before the crash, was told he had been 'stupid' and earned 'too much too soon'.
As a promising young defender for United, Williams was once paid £3.4million a year.
Former Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had singled out the player for being 'as brave as a lion' and having an 'absolutely great attitude' that would make him a 'top, top player'.
Williams made 51 appearances for United, and earned one cap for England's under-21s.
The player has previously spoken of his desire to restart his career, most recently telling former Man United star Ben Foster on his The Fozcast podcast that being away from the game had been painful to the point of 'hurting' him.
I go into this mode where I just don't care. I have this switch where I don't care what happens. They [family and friends] wanted me to get back to football but they could see I'd fallen out of love with.
'It hurts me watching football now because I just want to be there, I just want to play. I miss being in a team, on the coach, travelling to games, having meals together and just doing things.
'I want to have that feeling again of winning and being around the changing room environment.
'I've had loads of teams trying to get me out - America, Europe and England - but I haven't been ready. I want to go somewhere 100% focused and kick on.
'I would like to experience that different culture. I'm only 24 so I could do three or four years abroad. Definitely Europe at a good club or an upcoming club.'
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