Trent Williams has been a force to reckon with in the league. He is arguably the best tackle in the NFL right now and has fought through adversities one cannot even imagine. At one point, he feared that he might not be able to live any longer due to the risk of possible terminal brain cancer.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
However, the beast was as strong on the inside as he is from the outside. The offensive tackle recalled his vulnerable situation on the I AM ATHLETE Podcast, where he talked about how his former team’s complete oversight almost cost him his life to a potentially terminal cancer diagnosis.
Williams on finding out about a bump on his head
Williams came to know about a bump in his head in 2014 when he was sitting in a meeting, playing with his hair. At first, he overlooked it, but after a simple google search; he made an appointment with the team’s doctor. However, the doctor convinced him it was merely a cyst and was nothing to worry about.
The nine-time Pro Bowler revealed that he asked the medical staff of Washington Commanders to remove the cyst on several occasions year after year. During those five years, he underwent knee thumb surgeries, however, the doctors kept denying to work on his then believed “cyst” on the head.
49ers’ Pro-Bowl OT Trent Williams is opening up to “@IAMATHLETEpod ” about the biggest fight of his life — when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and was told death was a very real outcome.
Full episode drops Monday 3/14 on the I Am Athlete YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/lYjqub1nZb
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2022
But by the time he was about to enter the 2019 season, his tumor had already grown “at a good rate”. Also, he grew a couple of more bumps, and at this point, he knew that he needed to get it treated at all costs.
Trent Williams on confronting the Commanders’ medical staff for his possible tumor
“At the 2019 year, I’m like,” Williams explained. “I’m feeling, ‘I want to get this cut off’ I had to kind of wear my hair, kind of bushy because I had the bone right there. And it was hard to cut over. So I locked them in the training room. I’m like, look y’all make the appointment right now.”
“Like doing exit physical,” he added. “I grabbed a doc and the trainer. So y’all, come here, and we went in the training room, I closed the door, I said, let’s make the appointment right now. I ain’t got nothing to do for another two weeks. And then I’m leaving, and I want to get it done before I leave.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Trent Williams was the highest-graded OT in each of the last two seasons 😤 pic.twitter.com/prUwTrpjkI
— PFF (@PFF) March 6, 2022
Later it was revealed that it wasn’t a cyst, it was, in fact, a tumor, and he was diagnosed with rare cancer called DFSP. It was truly a traumatizing situation for the star tackle. To deal with the doctor’s “human error” at the cost of his life was simply not easy to take in. Though he was lucky since the cancer did not fully metastasize through his skull and into his brain.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
However, Williams took no time to leave the franchise after the 2019 season. He got traded to the San Francisco 49ers where he continued his exceptional Pro Bowl worthy form.
Watch This Story: Vanessa Bryant Welcomes a New Member to Kobe Bryant’s Adorable Family