USC STAR IN LIMBO RULING MAY LEAVE RECEIVER WILLIAMS OUT OF THE NFL DRAFT.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

A federal appellate court on Monday sent former USC receiver Mike Williams on his first professional pass pattern: down and out.

Williams was barred, temporarily at least, from entering this weekend's NFL draft when a three-judge panel blocked a lower court ruling on former Ohio State star running back Maurice Clarett's lawsuit against the NFL, which two months ago had cleared the way for college underclassmen to enter the league.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay after listening to arguments in a Manhattan courtroom Monday morning, a development widely viewed as a sign that the judges would side with the NFL in its appeal, which could be handed down before the draft that begins Saturday.

That ruling prompted Williams' first foray into the legal system when attorneys filed a suit on his behalf asking that he be allowed into the draft because - unlike Clarett - he was invited by the league. It was filed before the same U.S. District Court judge, Shira Scheindlin, who ruled in Clarett's favor in February.

``I have no idea if we'll get it heard (before the draft),'' said Mike Azzarelli, Williams' agent, who is based in Williams' hometown of Tampa, Fla. ``Right now, I'm sure Mike feels very dejected, very disappointed. He gave up an awful lot.''

Williams, who would have been a leading Heisman Trophy contender had he returned for his junior season, is now left in limbo.

After spending a month in Georgia training for a private workout in front of pro scouts two weeks ago, Williams now has four days to pull out a court victory that would allow him into the draft, where he was projected as a high to middle first-round pick.

``Until there's a final ruling, everybody assumes (Williams and Clarett) are in,'' said Atlanta general manager Rich McKay, who might be eyeing Williams with the No. 8 pick. ``Even though the league got the stay and they may not be in the draft, for planning purposes you still have to have them on the board.''

If he wins - or the Clarett decision is affirmed - after this week, Williams (and Clarett if he wins) would be made available in a supplemental draft within 10 days of a decision.

If Williams can't play in the NFL this year, he could go to the Canadian Football League, the Arena Football League, sit out a year in preparation for next year's draft or see whether he could return to the University of Southern California.

``I don't know what would happen,'' Azzarelli said. ``We're just not that far yet.''

That last avenue, returning to USC, seems filled with potholes at this point. Since he has hired an agent and withdrawn from classes at USC this semester - both moves that would make him ineligible - Williams would have to be granted a special waiver by the NCAA to return.

``We'll continue to help our guy out, just like we did when he was making his decision,'' USC head coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. ``There are still a number of steps still to go. But until it's official, there aren't any steps to take. Nothing definitive has been declared by the NCAA. Some steps would have to be taken for the players to get back into college football.''

USC coaches had no contact with Williams on Monday and the relationship between him and the staff has become strained in recent weeks. Both have been critical of each other in conversations with NFL teams, according to league sources.

Once USC coaches' criticisms of Williams' work ethic and immaturity to NFL teams were brought to the receiver's attention, he answered by describing the Trojans' program as undisciplined.

Meanwhile, the NFL, which had become exceedingly confident in its case in recent weeks, expressed its pleasure at the court's two-page order.

``As the court order says, we have 'demonstrated a likelihood of success on merits,''' said Jeff Pash, the league's chief legal counsel.

The case appears to center around how anti-trust law applies. The NFL says it does and points to a case it won in 1995, Brown vs. Pro Football Inc., in which the Supreme Court ruled that if player restriction is a matter of mandatory bargaining, it can't be challenged under anti-trust law.

The question is whether this labor exemption applies.

Clarett's attorneys argue that he wasn't a member of the union in 1992 when the league instituted its rule - with the union's approval - that a player may not be drafted until he's been out of high school at least three years. Therefore, he shouldn't be party to it.

``That's nonsense,'' said Tulane University sports law program director Gary Roberts, who represented the league in the late 1970s and early '80s. ``What they could argue is that the league adopted this when the union was decertified and it doesn't apply because it wasn't collectively bargained.''

Matt Mitten, the director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University, says the Brown case is designed to focus on competition (such as free agency rules) and not player welfare.

``This action is a pretty strong indication that this panel of judges are suggesting that unions and clubs have carte blanche to establish draft eligibility rules,'' said Mitten, who disagrees with Roberts on the case. ``Anti-trust law isn't requiring any club to draft these players. If they're not good enough, they're not going to be on an NFL roster. How is the NFL irreparably harmed when teams are not under any compulsion to draft these guys?''

How Williams or Clarett, who is projected as a second- or third-round pick, would be harmed by missing the draft is another matter. There hasn't been a first-round selection in a supplemental draft since the New York Giants took quarterback Dave Brown in 1992. (Teams draft in the same order as the previous draft and forfeit that same pick the following year.) If Williams is available in a supplemental draft, he could be chosen No. 1 by the Chargers or - with many teams fortifying themselves in this draft's exceptionally strong receiving class - Williams could drop based on need.

``It's purely a subjective thing,'' said Azzarelli, who last week had hinted at a lawsuit seeking damages if Williams were kept out of the draft. ``There's not enough of a track record to know. If you get drafted by an owner that doesn't have a lot of money (which affects signing bonuses), the impact could be millions.''

McKay, the Falcons executive and son of former USC head coach John McKay, is a family friend and watched Williams play in high school. McKay spoke with him about applying for the draft and advised Williams to wait.

``I think I'm better off not giving advice,'' McKay said Monday. ``I'm sure Mike wants certainty. Until it occurs it's hard to say what's going to happen.''

Staff Writer Scott Wolf contributed to this story.

Billy Witz, [phone]

billy.witz(at)dailynews.com

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