Colts' Zaire Franklin Calls Out 'Bum' Jamaal Williams in Reply to 'Hard Knocks' Video
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin took a shot at Detroit Lions running back Jamaal Williams on Friday in response to a clip from the HBO series Hard Knocks, which was tweeted by NFL Films.
Franklin and Williams were shown going at it and talking trash during a joint practice, and Franklin took the opportunity to call Williams "a bum" on Twitter before also calling out the Lions' struggles.
Williams fired back, saying he made Franklin look "stupid" during the team period of practice.
The 26-year-old Franklin is entering his fifth NFL season, all of which he has spent with the Colts.
He was a seventh-round pick out of Syracuse in 2018, and after spending his first few seasons as a special teamer, he saw significantly more action in 2021.
Franklin appeared in 17 games and started 11 of them, posting a career-high 40 tackles as well as his first interception and fumble recovery.
Williams, 27, is entering his sixth NFL season and second with the Lions.
The Green Bay Packers chose Williams in the fourth round of the 2017 draft out of BYU, and he was a key contributor for four seasons as both a runner and pass-catcher.
D'Andre Swift missed four games because of injury last season, and Williams started 11 of the 13 games he appeared in.
He rushed for a career-high 601 yards and found paydirt three times, plus he caught 26 passes for 157 yards.
The Lions and Colts are set to face off in a preseason game Saturday, and based on the bad blood between Franklin and Williams, there will be added intrigue.
