It’s a sad story, but hopefully now it is over.
Jayson Williams was an NBA All-Star who seemed poised to have a good career post-playing in the broadcast booth. But that all came crashing down hard 10 years ago when a shotgun Williams was holding in his home discharged and killed his driver, Costas “Gus” Christofi.
Williams was sentenced to five years for that crime (serving 18 months) plus more time for a driving under the influence charge, but he was let out of a New Jersey prison Friday, reports the Star-Ledger.
Williams was a standout player at St. John’s who was one of the better rebounding big men in the game in the 1990s. He was a 1998 All-Star, but in 1999 a collision with teammate Stephon Marbury left his Williams’ leg shattered and he never played in another NBA game.
He went into the broadcast booth and was a rising star there until the incident where his driver was killed. Williams was found guilty by a jury of trying to cover up the shooting but they could not reach agreement on manslaughter charges. Williams reached a plea that had him spend 18 months in jail. When out, the DUI violated his parole and sent him back to prison for 8 months.
Hopefully now he can put everything behind him and move on with his life.
