For the birds: new pets bring UNC running back Antonio Williams peace

Jason Strowbridge once held the title as owner of the most exotic pets in the Carolina locker room with two snakes, but a new challenger emerged when Antonio Williams arrived at training camp with his new birds, Rita and Spear.

“Number one, I’ve never heard that a player would ever bring birds into the hotel,” said Mack Brown, smiling.

The birds, finches that Williams refers to as his daughters, have a bigger purpose than just entertaining as pets, though.

(And one more time...)

.@A_B_Williams26 ❤️ 🏈.
He also loves his 🐦🐦.#CarolinaFootball | #BeTheOne pic.twitter.com/FTRjCPhS7r
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) August 2, 2019

Williams, whose mellow demeanor is a stark contrast to his physical running style, has a big window that allows sunlight to fill his room. Next, he wanted to add something natural that would help create a positive, relaxing environment.

“I wanted my room to be the most peaceful room that I could think of,” he said. “I’m a big guy on peace and I love peaceful settings. What else could I get to make my room peaceful? I was like, ‘Why not get some birds?’”

So, about three months ago, Williams did just that, heading out to Petco where he made the connection with Rita and Spear.

It didn’t take long for Williams to view the birds as more than background noise, though, as he immediately hopped on YouTube and started researching how to better care for the birds and train them.

After spending 30-40 minutes every day working with them, Williams had something to show for it.

“It got to the point where the birds, they go to sleep at a certain time and they wake up at a certain time,” he said.

Fellow running back Michael Carter is sharing a room with Williams, and along with the usual reggae music playing, he’s come to love the tiny new roommates, giving them high marks for their work.

“They sing; they do a good job,” Carter said, deadpanning.

Not only have the birds done a good job with their singing, they’ve also shown the type of discipline necessary during a training camp.

One night, Carter and Williams were up talking when they noticed Rita and Spear were chirping well past their bedtime.

“I go to the cage and say, ‘Y’all should be asleep,’” Williams said. “I tap on the cage twice and they go to sleep.”

So far, the birds have been a hit with teammates stopping in to hang out and relax in Williams’ room, with freshman defensive back Cam’Ron Kelly especially taking a liking to them.

“People love the birds,” Williams said. “A lot of the guys come in the room … they’re accepted good.”

That’s in contrast to Strowbridge’s snakes — a ball python named Wenji and albino boa constrictor named C.C. — who take a little more warming up to.

“The first thing is like, ‘Oh, snakes? What the heck, no,’” Strowbridge said. “Then I show them, I take them out of the cage and show them how they are, they’re friendly. They’re good with people and the fear of it kind of goes away.”

Strowbridge’s roommate, Carl Tucker, has gotten used to the snakes and said Williams’ birds are a welcome addition to the Carolina Family.

“I think it’s pretty cool, it’s funny,” he said.

And while Brown might have questions about a player bringing birds to training camp, he said he was happy that his guys feel comfortable enough to share that part of their lives with one another.

Besides — that extra peace could pay off for the senior running back in a big way.

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