Kicker Kris Brown pays tribute to receiver harry Williams before the game against Tampa Bay.
Receiver Harry Williams did something special Thursday morning. He stood up in his room at Presbyterian Hospital-Dallas and took his first steps since suffering a career-ending injury against the Cowboys on Aug. 22 and undergoing a lengthy surgery to fuse together his cervical vertebrae.
The Texans did something special for Williams later that night. Before the preseason game against Tampa Bay, the kickoff team was introduced to the crowd at Reliant Stadium. Kicker Kris Brown was the last player to emerge from the tunnel, taking the field with Williams' No. 86 jersey raised above his head.
It proved to be an emotional moment for the Texans and their fans, and one that already has lifted Williams' spirits.
"It means so much to Harry," his mother Marshall Williams said. "We are looking forward to getting the DVD so we can watch it together in his (hospital) room."
Williams injured his neck in the first quarter of the team's preseason game in Dallas when he dove to tackle kickoff returner Isaiah Stanback and Texans safety Nick Ferguson slipped and fell directly into Williams' helmet.
Initial medical reports indicate that it is unlikely that Williams ever will every play football again, but the receiver is thankful to be walking.
Williams signed with the Texans in December 2006 and spent most of last season on the practice squad. He was playing the best football of his career this preseason with coach Gary Kubiak calling him the top player on special teams.
"You know, Harry had made this team," Kubiak said. "Harry was fixing to be a big part of this team and have a chance in his career that he had really earned. To go out there on that field and see that kid laying there and what he went through, I think it's just the reality of how tough this game is and what can happen to you on any given play. I just thank the good Lord that the kid is going to be fine."
