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.

The Redskins have elected to not pay Trent Williams the remainder of his $5.1MM base salary for the 2019 season, league sources tell Field Yates and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Per league rules, teams have the right to not pay players who are on the non-football injury list and the Redskins are exercising that right. 

Williams was placed on NFI on Thursday. On Friday morning, he lashed out at the Redskins yet again and made it known that he does not intend to play for them ever again. The offensive tackle remains under contract through the 2020 season, but it’s hard to envision a reconciliation for the two sides.

The Redskins had the opportunity to move Williams before the late October trade deadline, but they held on to him instead. The Redskins may explore trades again in the offseason, but at that stage, they won’t have much in the way of leverage. Many have questioned the Redskins’ handling of the Williams’ situation on the whole, as well as their refusal to cut ties with him this year.

Williams, a seven-time Pro Bowler, has missed 13 games over the last three seasons due to various injuries. He graded out as the league’s best overall tackle in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, and still managed to place No. 21 in a relatively down 2018.

Despite the health issues, including a recent cancer scare, Williams says he wants to continue playing football. Just not in D.C.

Left tackle Trent Williams says there is no hope for reconciliation between him and the Redskins. In an interview with Mike Jones of USA Today, the veteran accused the team of showing no real compassion for his medical situation or wellbeing. 

“I feel like everything has run its course,” Williams said. “I mean, I do want to play football still and I’m not a free agent until after the 2020 season, so who knows. But the bridge has definitely been burned, and any efforts now, basically are, in my opinion, pretty much just CYA.”

According to Williams, this is nothing new, nor is it exclusive to just him.

“Mine isn’t the only situation they got wrong. There are a lot of situations they could have looked into. Why didn’t they do it before now? Why didn’t they do it in Colt McCoy’s case? And they keep putting out these false reports. That’s never helpful. I just feel like regardless of what the findings of the investigation are, they’re going to try to find a way to paint me negatively and make themselves look better.”

Williams’ season is now over, after the Redskins placed him on the NFI list. He wants to resume playing, once he’s healthy, but not in Washington.

Despite his frustrations, Williams did confirm that he approached the Redskins about a contract extension before the start of the season. However, with two years remaining on his contract, he was rebuffed.

“I knew I was coming up on a year with no guaranteed money, and I wanted to open the conversation about them making me a Redskin for the rest of my career,” Williams said. “I understand that either a team wants the player and will extend him, or they’ll send him somewhere so they can get some value for him. I told Bruce, ‘I understand that we’re in a rebuild and if you don’t want to dump any more money in the O-line, I’d like to go somewhere that I’m wanted.’ I still felt like I’ve got 5-6 more healthy years left of quality football.”

The Redskins recently requested a joint review of left tackle Trent Williams‘ medical records, but that won’t be happening. At Williams’ request, the NFLPA will not cooperate with an investigation into Williams’ health, as players union chief DeMaurice Smith told Junks Radio (Twitter link via Craig Hoffman of 106.7 The Fan).

“Our union will continue to support Trent,” Smith said in a statement. “Although he has asked us to not pursue a formal review of his treatment, we will consider all legal action if the affirmative disinformation campaign and the leaking of his private medical records does not stop. Doctors have an ethical obligation to treat our men as patients first regardless of where their check comes from. It is our job to ensure that they honor that duty and if we find that the have not, we must then hold the physician accountable to the CB and their medical licensing authority.”

Williams first noticed the growth in 2013, but he says Redskins doctors told him the issue was not severe. However, he’s since been diagnosed with Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP), a “soft tissue sarcoma that develops in the deep layers of the skin.” This offseason, the Redskins sent Williams to a hospital where the condition was finally recognized, and he had an operation during the winter to remove the growth.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, Williams doesn’t have much of an incentive to agree to a joint review of his medical records. Even if the Redskins were found to be at fault, Washington would likely be only be fined for its actions. Additionally, once Williams’ medical information is disclosed, there is a chance his records could be leaked.

Williams, of course, recently reported to the Redskins after sitting out most of the season. He didn’t pass his physical after reporting pain due to his helmet, and Washington is now searching for a more comfortable helmet. If the club can’t provide Williams with suitable head gear, he may be placed on the non-football injury list, ending his 2019 season before it begins.

The NFL Players Association has issued the following statement on Redskins left tackle Trent Williams (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk):

“In our multiple conversations with Trent and his agent, we have considered various options based on the facts, but we also understand that Trent wants to put this all behind him, not relive a painful experience when his life was in danger and move on with his career. We are also aware of misinformation being repeated on the NFL’s own network that is not sourced and is only designed to tarnish Trent’s reputation. Our union supports Trent, is protecting his rights and continues to consider potential action if a campaign against him continues.”

Of course, this is in reference to the growth on Williams’ head that turned out to be cancerous. As Florio notes, the “misinformation” that the union referred to in its statement is the report that Charley Casserly delivered on the NFL Network on Friday, when he said that the team told Williams to have the growth biopsied three years ago, but Williams failed to do so. Although the NFLPA is upset that the league’s own network is relaying this allegedly inaccurate info, this is not the first time we have heard it. ESPN had a similar report (derived from team sources) back in July.

Nonetheless, it is coming to light again because Williams recently reported to the team to avoid having his contract toll. He failed his physical because putting on his helmet caused him pain as a result of the surgery to remove the growth, and the Redskins now have roughly two weeks to find a Williams a helmet that doesn’t hurt him. If they can’t, they may end up putting him on the non-football injury list for the remainder of the season.

The team has requested a third-party review of Williams’ medical records in order to prove it did not act inappropriately with respect to Williams, and the league and the union are launching a joint investigation into Williams’ claims to the contrary. Florio believes it will be difficult for Washington to escape blame, because even if it did tell Williams to have the growth examined, it should have pressed the issue, especially if the growth continued to expand. Florio says, “[a]bsent clear documentation that Williams was acting against clear and unmistakable medical advice, the mere fact that someone flagged the growth for further examination three years ago but that it was not biopsied for an extended period of time points to clear negligence.” 

In any event, the relationship between player and team seems beyond repair. Assuming that Williams is able to comfortably wear a helmet at some point in the near future, the Redskins could explore trading him this offseason.

The Trent Williams saga has taken another turn. Earlier today, Williams told Les Carpenter of the Washington Post that the growth on his head had turned out to be a cancerous tumor, and blamed the Redskins for not recognizing the seriousness of the issue sooner. Now, Washington has issued a press release indicating it wants a third-party review of Williams’ medical records, ostensibly to remove any blame placed on the Redskins.

“The Washington Redskins have requested that the NFL’s Management Council convene a joint committee with the NFLPA to review the medical records and the medical are given to Trent Williams. We have requested this review under the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement that provides for an independent third-party review of any NFL player’s medical care. The Redskins continue to prioritize the health and well-being of our players and staff.”

Williams first noticed the growth in 2013, but he says Redskins doctors told him the issue was not severe. However, he’s since been diagnosed with Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP), a “soft tissue sarcoma that develops in the deep layers of the skin.” This offseason, the Redskins sent Williams to a hospital where the condition was finally recognized, and he had an operation during the winter to remove the growth.

The most pressing issue here is clearly Williams’ long-term health, but it’s difficult to avoid how Williams’ latest revelation — and the Redskins’ response — will further fracture the relationship between team and player. Washington failed to trade Williams before Tuesday’s deadline, and the veteran offensive tackle subsequently reported to the club. However, he failed his physical after his helmet gave him discomfort. If the Redskins can’t find Williams a helmet in the next two weeks, he’s likely to be placed on the non-football injury list, ending his season.