Former Pitt star rips Pat Narduzzi: ‘Tarnished my Character’

The Pittsburgh Panthers enter season 12 with Pat Narduzzi leading the way as head coach. But a former Pitt player put his former leader on blast late Saturday evening. Even stating how Narduzzi “tarnished my character.”

Former Pitt wide receiver Raphael “Poppi” Williams Jr. shared a screenshot of his pre-NFL Draft scouting report for teams.

“I’ve been debating about posting this for months, but it’s been on my heart. It’s hurts me to know that my own school/COACH tarnished my character, and told nothing but lies to NFL teams,” Williams starts in his post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Williams revealed that the scouting report detailed the wideout as having “below average personal character.” Plus became “super cocky and feels entitled” while even labeled as a “jerk.” He was even accused of being disrespectful toward female staff members in the report.

Yet the Fort Lauderdale native contradicts those statements in his post.

“All I ever did was work my hardest and try to be the best leader to my teammates,” Williams proclaimed. “I never got a real shot in the league. Not because of my play but ‘character issues.’ I’ve never had that, you can ask my teammates, coaches, and more.”

He defended himself further in saying: “I brought energy and light into this community. I need answers. And have receipts.”

The complete scouting report Williams references can be found here.

So Williams even shared his screenshot as a quote tweet response to this April 26 post from Narduzzi.

“Poppi Williams was a talented, productive, and reliable player for us. He is healthy and ready to go! He’s a great young man with strong character that will come in and work hard for a spot! Whichever NFL team gives him a chance, they’ll be very lucky to have him,” Narduzzi posted on X after the NFL Draft.

But Williams reveals a far different pre-draft experience he endured following his Pitt exit.

“Crazy to think it’s hard to say one good thing about a kid who started two years at a program,” Williams said. “Never been late to nothing. Never disrespected no one.”

He even spent Saturday responding to fans who believe Narduzzi never created that scouting report. Except Williams fired off more screenshots in response.

So the 5-foot-10 receiver caught 208 career receptions, racking up 2,744 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. Western Carolina rose as his first college stop, including producing a 73-catch, 959-yard and nine-touchdown campaign in 2021. He landed at San Diego State in 2023 during a time the Aztecs played in the Mountain West Conference, but he never played.

He left the Panthers grabbing 51 catches for 701 yards and scored seven touchdowns this past season. Pitt produced one 2026 draft selection in linebacker Kyle Louis, who landed in the fourth round to the Miami Dolphins at 138th overall.

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