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 He towers an elevated six-foot-four-inches tall and tips the scales at 212 pounds of solid muscle. When number 11 is running past defenders or flying through the air on the gridiron, he is as agile, quick and stealthy as a cheetah in the wild. But when it comes to his Chinese Shar-Pei Goldie, 25-year-old Jacksonville Jaguars starting wide receiver Reggie Williams is just a big old softie.
Whether unwinding after a big Sunday afternoon matchup or relaxing in the great state of Texas during the offseason, the 2004 the University of Washington first round draft pick is huddled up at home with one of his closest friends during his personal time.
Goldie was only three months old when Williams brought him home. The $1,500 spend came with a carrier and shots. According to Williams, he had been eyeing the breed for a while before he broke down and purchased one of his own.
“I had always seen Shar-Peis in magazines, and I liked the way they looked. When I was at the Beverly Center the week of the Espy Awards, I walked pass a store, and he was sitting on the top shelf and I fell in love with him,” says Williams of his first time meeting his nine-year-old sidekick Goldie, who is named after the lead character in 70s blaxploitation classic film The Mack.
And even though he’s not the best looking guy with his saddened face and big floppy wrinkles, Goldie has amassed a neighborhood fan base of his own. “Goldie loves everybody. He tries to play with any dog in the neighborhood. It doesn't matter how big,” Williams continues. “He loves licking on people. He loves jumping on little kids. He loves kids and any other dog. He's real friendly, reserved, cool, calm and collected. He's the best of both worlds. Not too hyper and well mannered.”
Williams has had a fondness for dogs since his early days of playing pop-Warner football. Born in Landstuhl, Germany on a military base, Williams’ father was a soldier in the Army. While he had always wanted one, it wasn’t until after college that he got his first dog- an English Bulldog. Nowadays, he has Goldie, 30 fish and two tanks in his sprawling Jacksonville estate.
“The best part about having a dog is the companionship,” Williams explains, “and the undivided love they have for their owner. I take him everywhere I go. I don’t do all the glitz and glamour. I might get him a massage or some relaxing treatment in the offseason.”
Until then, Reggie simply plans to spoil his further spoil his right hand man. “I been looking for a Gucci spiked collar,” he says lightheartedly. “But I haven’t found one that’s big enough.” The search itself is half the fun.
Photography by Eric Colley of dc Fotografi
See more pics of Reggie Williams in the Unleash photo gallery
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