Auburn vs Ole Miss Football

Auburn wide receiver D'haquille Williams celebrates the victory over Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford Miss., Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014. (Mark Almond/ malmond@al.com)

TAMPA, Florida -- The mysterious absence of D'haquille Williams has ended with a suspension.

Williams will not play in the Outback Bowl after missing eight straight practices. Gus Malzahn said Williams broke "team rules," but declined to go into specifics.

"I'm not getting into any details," Malzahn said. "He's just not going to play."

Malzahn said Williams plans to return to Auburn for his senior season in 2015 after weighing whether to jump to the NFL.

The Auburn receiver arrived in Tampa on Saturday, one day after the Tigers' reporting date, and practiced Sunday with the team for the first time since the end of the regular season. Williams missed eight bowl practices before his return to the field Sunday.

Malzahn said previously Williams was "sick."

Auburn receiver D'haquille Williams posted this photo on Instagram on Dec. 22.

Auburn's most consistent receiver leads the Tigers with 45 catches for 730 yards and five touchdowns despite missing two games with a sprained MCL.

Williams' status for the bowl game -- and with the team -- has been shrouded in mystery in recent weeks. Speculation hit a high note when Williams posted Monday a photo of himself with what appeared to be an injured eye on Instagram. He later deleted the picture.

Williams had also been weighing whether to jump into the NFL. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper rates the junior college transfer as a potential late-first to mid-second round pick in the NFL

"He is planning on coming back next year, so that's the reason he's here," Malzahn said. "I thought it was important that he's on the scout team. He's acting as Wisconsin's top receiver, so I felt like that was the right thing to do."

Williams took to Twitter following the announcement.

I married to my hustle and that's school and football 💯👌 #SayLess — Dhaquille (@YFBurnna_cmh) December 29, 2014

No. 19 Auburn (8-4) plays No. 18 Wisconsin (10-3) in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1.