However obvious it may have been that time was up, it still took courage to make the call to walk away; it still took humility and good judgement to see that it was better to get out now on a voluntary basis rather than leave it a few weeks and shift the emphasis to an enforced departure. Williams owed that much to himself.
His various off-field antics over the years have divided opinion. For a minority, he's been a refreshing point of difference - a blast colour in a world of grey. For the majority, it seems, he's been a hard act to like - a David Brent figure, strangely convincing himself of his comedic genius while others watch on and cringe.
But those on both sides of the divide can presumably find common ground on Williams the player. He destroyed the Lions in the first test in 2005. He was the only man in silver who held up in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final and in 2008 he wasn't so much better than Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha, but a kind of hybrid those two couldn't subdue.
He had four seasons - 2005-2008 - when he was world class: a towering force who could sit alongside the likes of Andy Haden, Ian Jones, Gary Whetton and, yes, even Colin Meads. Williams, in that period, was that good.
The shame is that serious injury in 2009 that repeated in 2010 has distorted the picture. It's easier to conjure images of Williams not quite imposing post-injury than it is to remember him dominating some of the best locks in world rugby before his Achilles and various other bits gave up the ghost.
But however much some may never have warmed to Williams, that's not reason to forget his excellence or contribution. That's not reason to invalidate what he achieved.
