The 2019-20 NBA season restart at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida has gone just as planned thanks to all the safety guidelines that were put in place. It appears even former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Reggie Williams had a hand in making it come to fruition.
Williams played a part in the construction of ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex while working for Disney after his playing days were over. According to ESPN's Ben Baby, he admits that some of his own shortcomings as a player made him determined to leave his mark elsewhere:
“The place was built on big dreams,” said Williams.
“All of that is related to what I felt I needed to prove after losing that second Super Bowl,” Williams said. “I needed to balance the rest of my life with amazing challenges.”
Williams added that he is happy to have the sports complex as part of his legacy.
“It makes up for losing a Super Bowl,” Williams said. “It really does. The whole idea of Wide World of Sports was that you can compete at the highest level with the purpose of winning and tasting all that sweet success. But if you lose, you can still be at the happiest place on earth.”
Williams played 14 seasons in Cincinnati and was able to take part in two Super Bowls while he was there. Of course, it was his the second loss in Super Bowl XXIII to the San Francisco 49ers that would leave a lasting sting once he retired after the following season.
Once his NFL career came to an end, Williams wasted no time in getting started with his philanthropic projects and this ultimately led him to Disney. His efforts have now helped revive sports and given fans something to cheer about during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
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