The Trent Williams story continues to get more complex by the hour, and we’ve got another batch of updates ready for you. Yesterday the Redskins placed Williams on the NFI list, ending his 2019 season. Early this morning Williams blasted the team and said there was no hope of reconciliation, and then just a few hours ago we heard Washington had decided not to pay the left tackle any of his salary for 2019.
Williams spoke with Dan Graziano of ESPN.com earlier today, and said that he underwent three surgeries this offseason but felt “football-ready” by Week 2 (Twitter link). Williams again confirmed to Graziano that he wants to play next season, saying “It’s what I do. I want to continue my Pro Bowl streak. I want to win a Super Bowl. I’ve got a lot of stuff I want to accomplish. I hate that I got derailed, but I’m blessed and I’m back. Looking for that helmet that can fit” (Twitter link).
When Williams ended his holdout and reported to the team, he said he couldn’t wear his helmet because of pain from the surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his head. Finally, Graziano tweeted that Williams didn’t sound too confident about winning a grievance to get some money back. Williams declined to say whether he’d be filing a grievance through the NFLPA but said “shoot, that’s their discretion. Non-football Illness, you know, it’s cancer, you can’t say it’s related to football. So I don’t know how much argument we have.”
However, Williams might have a case to make. He could argue that since Washington’s medical staff failed to advise him to remove the growth on his head earlier, they are at fault. And it’s possible the “failure to address the issue sooner makes the end result — Williams’ current inability to wear a helmet — a football injury and not a non-football injury,” writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. That being said, Florio writes that one source told him it will still be an “uphill battle” for Williams to get his current situation classified as a football injury.
Williams says team doctors repeatedly told him the growth on his head was just a harmless cyst over the years, which obviously turned out not to be true. That sounds like it could be grounds for a malpractice lawsuit, as Florio writes in a separate article. Florio also argues that it would “make sense for the team to offer to terminate his contract in exchange for a full and complete waiver and release of any and all claims,” since Williams has made it clear that he just wants to be released from his contract.
That could be the most sensible option for both sides, as Williams has made it clear he doesn’t want to go through a whole investigation, one that he says the Redskins would use to smear him. This saga is far from over, and it looks like things could get ugly as Washington has made it clear they don’t plan on budging anytime soon.
I’m a bit confused here. Didn’t the NFL make a settlement with the NFLPA a few years ago that saw them pay out more than a hundred million dollars to acquire immunity from medical malpractice claims? Did that apply only to claims from retired players?
For past concussion issues
Skins should have just cut or traded him at the beginning of the year. Instead they’ve just kept him all year to punish him for getting cancer?
Could have gotten a high draft pick what a joke this team is.
‘ Florio also argues that it would “make sense for the team to offer to terminate his contract in exchange for a full and complete waiver and release of any and all claims,” since Williams has made it clear that he just wants to be released from his contract.’
No way the NLFPA, his agent, or Trent should simply settle to be let out of his contract. If his cancer wasn’t diagnosed for years, he could sue for 10X what his is owed.
None of us have seen his medical records &, most likely, not doctors either. Yet its 100% the team’s fault is a bogus claim.
Trent took a stand as did the team. Simple as that.
Sorry guys, Trent is a big boy and can walk his self to the doctor if he needed to. He is not a two year old
If we all had doctors at our work who we visited with on a daily basis, most of us would assume they knew what they were talking about.
but he did and team doctors essentially said oh u don’t have cancer but he did and he had to get second opinions but yet team doctors said ur fine get back to football
Where is your proof of that? It wasn’t until this spring that his cancer came up yet he claims he had it since 2015.
I do hope he gets healthy and can have a long life. But hiding his cancer for years and only bring it to national attention, while wanting a new contract seems a bit suspicious.
Literally every article says the team misdiagnosed it years ago.
Really helps to actually read them
The he should sue, not ask for a trade.
You’re saying if you were misdiagnosed– for years– with cancer, you wouldn’t sue, please. His actions simply don’t mesh with that severe of a problem.
What kind of world do we live in where a guy gets a cancerous growth and then is able to not be paid due to it? He didn’t go hoop and tear his Achilles or get in a motorcycle accident. Dude had surgery. Kind of sets a weird precedent that this would be a way to get out of paying a player.
He was paid for years w/ the cancer. And would have been paid this year if he didn’t hold out. Hold the player accountable please.
In a sea of awful takes, it’s almost breathtaking to watch a truly horrendous one crest to the surface. Bravo.
So I’m at fault for saying the player isn’t 100% innocent? I’m willing to bet if he were traded and got a new contract (per his wish), his helmet wouldn’t have been an issue.
I don’t think any of us are qualified to make any judgement on the quality of medical treatment that Williams received. The more he attacks the Redskins though, the less leverage they have to get value for him through trade, so he is actually hurting his own cause.
That’s exactly right. We’re not doctors, nor do we have access to his records.
Neither party is innocent in this. It’s an awful situation making a bad team look worse. But Trent choose a stance as well and he has to deal with the repercussions of an extended holdout.
To be honest, I thought William’s holdout decision was a very good gamble at the time. It might have worked and got him a contract extension if Gruden had of tried to save his job by starting Haskins and Donald Penn had been a disaster as a replacement at LT. Neither of those scenarios happened however so the medical situation has become plan B to extricate himself from the Redskins and pursue a more lucrative deal elsewhere.
Welcome to America where you work and get paid or dont work and don’t get paid.
Sorry your mom and dad didn’t prepare you for the fact no one wants to pay you when you don’t work. Even if its cancer.
There’s a big difference between choosing not to work and having the decision made for you by an illness or disability. Hopefully you don’t have to discover that yourself someday.
Who would’ve thought the Kaepernick hourly updates would be replaced by a lineman that refused to play for a bad team…
You summed it up. He refused to play. And somehow its the team’s fault. When he did play, he was paid onetime every time.
LOL
They should just waive him to avoid being blamed for cancer?
SMH