Gus Malzahn, Auburn players speak about Duke Williams' dismissal

Gus Malzahn refused to reveal details Tuesday on the exact reasoning behind wide receiver Duke Williams’ dismissal this week, but did say the senior won’t return to school and that it’s been a difficult situation for Auburn’s entire football team.

“Any time you have to make a tough call and dismiss a player, it’s not easy,” Malzahn said during his weekly presser. “At the same time, this is a team sport and you’re always going to think about the team first. You give people chances, you give opportunities for people to prove themselves and the bottom line it didn’t. It’s not easy and it shouldn’t be easy for a coach, but you’ve got to do what’s best for your team.”

Malzahn continued to reiterate the multiple chances Williams received on his Plains. One of the SEC’s top pass-catchers struggled in the early going this season with the Tigers’ inconsistent play at the quarterback position and was no longer the home-run threat many thought coming in.

Veteran wide receiver Jonathan Wallace says the Tigers can move forward without Williams and that the decision “had to be done.”

“You hope the best for everybody,” Wallace said. “Personally, I love (Williams) to death. I’m sad to see this had to take place but it needed to be done so we can move forward and get better as a team.”

Wallace added: “All teams are going to have people get in trouble and things happen on and off the field, but it’s up to the team to come together and put that to the side and say, ‘hey, we’re going to focus on football.’ We’ve always been able to do that.”