Jayson Williams Calls Himself 'Coward' For Covering Up Shooting

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams has called himself a "coward" for his cover-up of the drunken accidental shooting death of a limo driver in 2002.

Williams shot driver Gus Christofi when handling a shotgun in his home. He served time in prison and discusses the shooting in Tuesday night's edition of "60 Minutes Sports" on Showtime. The interview airs at 8 p.m.

A late first-round pick in 1990, Williams played for the Philadelphia 76ers and retired from the New Jersey Nets after breaking his leg during a game in 1999.

As CBS2's Steve Overmyer reported, Williams reveals in the Showtime interview that the one thing he's asking for is what he hasn't given himself: forgiveness.

"I messed up. I'm sorry," Williams said. "I wish you would give me another chance. Not a second chance 'cause I wasted my second chance."

Williams was once considered one of the best big men in the NBA. Now he's trying to piece his life back together after taking the life of another.

"It hurts me when I look up and people give up on me," he said.

"I felt some people just said, 'Enough is enough.'"

In the interview, he also talks about his recovery and efforts to remain sober. He was charged earlier this year for drunken driving after he crashed his car into a utility pole in upstate New York.

Williams sought treatment at a facility in south Florida and currently volunteers at the center. He's trying to raise awareness for opioid addiction while walking the long journey to normalcy.

When CBS2 caught up with Williams last year he was volunteering for a nonprofit that helped him out when he was a teenager.

"Sometimes I wake up in the morning, I'm so amped up. 'I'm going to save the world today,'" Williams said. "And then I say, 'Well, I think I'll save my community.' And then I say, 'Well, heck, I've just got to save myself."

His community is the Lower East Side, where he grew up and where he's still a celebrity.

"It saves me more than it saves these kids, I tell you that," Williams said. "I've got to save myself. And if I keep saving myself, then I can keep helping others."

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