Earlier this month, the Redskins placed offensive lineman Trent Williams on the NFI list, ending his season. This set off a chain of events: Williams blasted the team and said there was no hope of reconciliation, and we later learned that Washington wouldn’t be paying the left tackle any of his 2019 salary.
This obviously isn’t the end of the story. The organization’s decision to place Williams on the NFI and withhold his money will likely have repercussions. Williams previously declined to say whether he’d be filing a grievance through the NFLPA to recoup some of his money, but he also didn’t sound confident about his chances. The veteran’s argument would revolve around the fact that he ended his holdout and reported to the team, but he was unable to wear his helmet because of pain stemming from surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his head. As our own Andrew Ortenberg pointed out, Williams could argue that since Washington’s medical staff failed to advise him to remove the growth on his head earlier, they are at fault.
Regardless, Williams won’t see the field again this season, and in an interview with Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic, the lineman discussed how he’s spending his free time as a boxing manager. While the entire interview into Williams’ passion for boxing is worth a read, we’ve highlighted some of his NFL-related soundbites below.
On owner Dan Snyder’s role regarding Williams’ placement on the NFI list:
“Obviously, no matter what I said or how I felt about him, just speaking out against the organization and kind of putting people on notice about how things are going around there. I don’t think he was particularly happy with that, which led to them putting me on the NFI list prematurely and choosing not to pay me. Of course, he had a leg in that. It is what it is, at this point, it’s over with. I’ll never be a Redskin again, so I don’t have to worry about it.”
On his current focus and his plans for the 2020 season:
“Uh, yeah, pretty much just seeing where I’m going to be at, getting a fresh start, and being able to lace my cleats up and get back on the football field. That’s just what I look forward to. A nice little break, it’s what my body needed, but in my mind, I’m ready to get back.”
On if he has any preferences regarding a new team:
“Haha, nah, cause you know, I’ve got a lot of former coaches around the league that I was very close to in other organizations now. I feel like I can plug and play into another system. But no, I haven’t even, after the Super Bowl you’ll kinda know who needs what and where possible destinations are.”
On his teammates’ reactions to his holdout, public comments about the organization, and placement on the NFI list:
“My teammates have been awesome. Honestly, sometimes I forget what situation I was in just being around those guys in the locker room. They didn’t treat me any different, and everybody was really happy to see me. Actually, coming in was a joy in that sense, because the reception I got was really overwhelming. I was kind of taken aback. I knew they had my back, you know, but it’s different to kind of know it and it’s different to feel it. There, I could feel it.”
Well of course Redskin teammates love Trent. With him being the media focus, the rest of them haven’t had to explain why they suck so bad.
He’s semi-using the media. He wants to be heard, & is. But why not document all the times he asked and was denied or told not to worry about the growth? Right now, it’s his word vs the team’s medical staff. If he could prove medical malpractice, he could match his NFL earnings.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Skins doctors have documents to dispute him. Then the team could sue him for Defemation or some other charge.