Given that his new team is 3-0 and he's a central piece of the league's best defence - not to mention the most recent winner of CFL defensive player-of-the-week honours - you'd think linebacker Rey Williams would be inclined to let bygones be bygones.

Nope.

Williams is still smarting from the timing of his release by the Ticats in February and the fact that it wasn't delivered by head man Kent Austin. The outspoken Williams made his feelings known at the time of his departure and intends to give Austin an earful when Hamilton visits Regina on Sunday.

"I'll just have some choice words for him," Williams told the Spectator this week. "What you learn in life is that nobody owes you anything but I can still curse somebody out."

Williams had two excellent seasons in Hamilton, earning East Division all-star nods in both 2011 and 2012. He was also a team captain and a vocal leader both in the locker-room and on the field. He's still close with former teammates Jamall Johnson and Markeith Knowlton.

"I have a lot of respect for the guys over there and we battled for two years together. This was a football decision that they didn't have anything to do with," Williams said. "The team was good to me for the most part. They treated me well, they paid me well. My comments will be directed at one single person instead of the whole team."

Williams release came less than two weeks after the Ticats signed middle linebacker Marcellus Bowman - who has yet to play a game this season due to injury - and just days before he was due a March 1 roster bonus. The Ticats ended up paying a portion of that bonus anyway because Williams had ankle surgery in January and grieved the terms of his release.

The news was delivered by director of football operations Shawn Burke - who had known Williams for two years - instead of Austin, who had been on the job just a couple of months (though Williams did play a pair of regular season games for Austin when the two were in Saskatchewan in 2007).

Austin chuckled when asked about Williams' comments on Friday, given that he's not expecting a particular warm welcome in Regina when he returns for the first time since winning the Grey Cup in 2007.

He's going to have to take a number. There's a big line," Austin laughed. "I'm not going to speak on Rey's feelings. He's entitled to his opinion and I respect that. I'm focused on our guys."

If the best revenge is living well - or hitting well, in this case - things certainly seem to have worked out for the 32-year-old Williams.

"I'm where I'm supposed to be and everything happens for a reason, I'm excited to be back in Regina. I love this place, it's football heaven," Williams said, who leads his team in tackles with 14. "Life's good when you're winning. I couldn't be happier."