XFL D.C. Defenders Pooka Williams interviewed after speedy 79-yard kickoff return in XFL Week 10.
A police chase on Thursday ended with the arrest of a professional football player Pooka Williams, according to the Beaumont Texas Police Department and reported by the Beaumont Enterprise.
Anthony “Pooka” Williams Jr., a 24-year-old Louisiana native who last played professional football for the D.C. Defenders of the XFL, was charged with evading in a motor vehicle, evading on foot, unlawfully carrying a weapon and criminal trespass after allegedly fleeing police officers who attempted to make a traffic stop, Public Information Officer Haley Morrow said.
At 11:46 a.m. Thursday, police officers attempted to pull over a car without license plates, but the vehicle sped away. After a police chase the driver lost control and struck a curb, disabling the vehicle. The suspect then fled on foot and entered a nearby residence. After police surrounded the residence, they found Williams hiding inside a bedroom closet. A firearm and marijuana were found inside the vehicle, according to police.
Williams was a standout receiver for the Kansas Jayhawks, recording multiple 1,000 yard seasons. He went undrafted out of college, in part due to a domestic battery charge in 2019. Williams was briefly with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021, and currently plays for the D.C. Defenders of the XFL.
Williams was drafted by the D.C. Defenders in the 2022 XFL draft, picked 49th overall during the Offensive Skill position round. He started the season on the Defenders’ 51-man roster until week four when he was released. He joined the St. Louis Battlehawks until week six when they released him and he went back to the Defenders.
Pooka Williams finished the 2023 XFL season as the Defenders primary kickoff and punt returner. In the Northern Division Championship game Pooka Williams returned a kickoff 51 yards in the Defenders win over the Seattle Sea Dragons.
