Trent Williams' holdout was about much more than money.
Speaking to reporters in the Redskins locker room just two days after ending his season-long holdout, Williams said he was diagnosed with cancer this offseason and had a piece of a tumor removed.
Trent Williams said he almost lost his life. Was scary and still is. #redskins pic.twitter.com/M5fXH3ikGa
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) October 31, 2019
News surrounding Williams, 31, this offseason simply said he had a procedure to remove a growth from his scalp.
As it turns out, Williams was diagnosed with DFSP, which according to the American Academy of Dermatology, is a rare skin cancer that develops in the middle layer of skin. Williams said the cancer was weeks away from reaching his brain.
Williams, a seven-time Pro Bowl player, said the growth started nearly six years ago and he was told by the Redskins it was nothing serious.
“I was told it was something minor, so I never really questioned it,” Williams said. “It continued to grow over the years. It was concerning but there was no pain involved. If I’m being told by the very people who I put my career in the hands of that I’m fine — I’m fine.”
Williams thought he was dealing with a cyst until he received the DFSP diagnosis. He said he nearly lost his life and spent two weeks in a Chicago hospital without a single visit from anyone in the Redskins organization.
“I think the diagnosis they gave me at the beginning, they underestimated it. It was far more advanced than they realized,” he said.
Washington’s mismanagement of Williams' condition was the catalyst for his holdout. He said Wednesday he no longer trusts the organization.
Williams failed his physical Wednesday after having issues with his helmet, likely stemming from his offseason procedure. He is in the fourth year of a five-year, $68 million deal he signed in August 2015 and said he hasn’t asked the Redskins for any additional guaranteed money to help atone for their mismanagement of his condition.
The Redskins released a statement a few hours after Williams' comments.
"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 care given to Trent Williams," the statement Welp. Here we go. #Redskins on Trent Williams 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/v8XsNN0p6c