Getty Trent Williams.
The Washington Redskins and offensive lineman Trent Williams are working towards a resolution to his helmet issue. The lineman failed his physical on Wednesday upon his return to the team from a months-long holdout because he felt discomfort when putting on her helmet.
And on Thursday, Williams cleared the air about what his offseason medical issues were. The left tackle, who has made six Pro Bowls, revealed he was diagnosed with cancer during the offseason and had a pretty serious battle with the disease.
Trent Williams said he was diagnosed with cancer this offseason: “I almost lost my life.”
Williams expanded, noting the cancer was just weeks away from entering his brain. Reports surfaced over the summer of Williams undergoing a procedure to remove a benign growth from his head. It turns out that this procedure was much more serious than originally thought and may have saved his life.
Williams said the cancer was weeks from going to his brain
Williams spoke to reporters on Thursday for the first time since his holdout ended and discussed the “scary situation” at length, noting he is still concerned about the situation.
Trent Williams said he almost lost his life. Was scary and still is. #redskins
What About His Helmet?
Williams had trouble getting his helmet to comfortably fit during his physical which resulted in him failing the appointment. With the air cleared about Williams’ medical problems during the summer, the two parties are ready to make things work, it appears.
Redskins interim head coach Bill Callahan spoke after practice and noted how the team was finding a way to accomodate Williams and make a helmet that fits comfortably for the lineman. Once they figure out the helmet situation, the team can move forward with the next step of getting Williams back in the fold.
At the moment, however, Callahan said the Redskins don’t have a timeline for getting Williams back in the fold.
This is big step for Williams, who was misdiagnosed six years ago for the growth on his head that was later room. The growth wound up being skin cancer, which led Williams to hold out.
Communication Works
One beef Williams had with the Redskins was the lack of communication about his medical issues during the offseason. Williams said he had no communication with the coaching staff or the front office during his holdout but spoke to all of his Redskins teammates.
With many expecting the left tackle to be traded, Williams stayed put in Washington as the 2019 deadline silently passed without much of a ground-shaking move. Though he was expected to head to either Cleveland or New England, both of which were front-runners to acquire Williams, the Redskins asking price steadily remained unreasonably high.
Perhaps Williams was even more aggravated by the team’s refusal to trade him. When asked about that during his media availability, he chuckled at the question. But with many fans unhappy with Redskins’ owner Dan Snyder, Williams insisted his relationship with the long-time executive remained intact.
There isn’t any word on whether there will be repercussions for the Redskins’ medical staff misdiagnosing something this serious, but we now know the severity of Williams’ health issues during the offseason. The lineman is on the mend now and could make his return to the field in the coming weeks.
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