Lack of support from WFT led Trent Williams to wanting out originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
On the surface level, the reasons Trent Williams wanted out from the Washington Football Team in the fall of 2019 and spring of 2020 are well known. Washington's medical team misdiagnosed what ultimately ended up being a rare form of cancer, Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP), and the longtime left tackle did not trust them moving forward.
However, it turns out that the misdiagnosis was a mere sliver of why Williams truly wanted to move on from Washington. Earlier this week, the eight-time Pro Bowl tackle joined the Adam Schefter podcast and detailed why he felt that it was time to move on from the only organization he had ever known.
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In fact, Williams was understanding of how his cancer was misdiagnosed. He was more upset with how the organization handled it after the fact.
"It was just the respect factor. I just felt like it wasn't there," Williams said. "I understand how it could have been misdiagnosed. It's a very rare form of cancer. I didn't really have a lot of disdain towards that in particular. It was just afterward."
From Williams' perspective, the left tackle did not receive the support from Washington he felt like he deserved, especially after putting the team before himself many times before in his eight seasons with the club.
"I had just went through a ton and I didn't really hear from the people that really were supposed to be there," Williams said. "I didn't really hear from them and I kind of just realized that, for a lot of times, I was doing everything more so putting them first. I felt like I did a lot of things for the team that put them first. I just didn't feel like at that point they valued the relationship the same. So, I started to look at it different[ly]. It just kind of snowballed from there."
Williams opened up about his cancer diagnosis and treatment more than he ever has. During the 30-plus-minute interview with Schefter, Williams explained how he was told he only had a certain amount of time to live and that there was a very real possibility for a long time he would never be able to play football again.
Now that Williams' treatment is finished and he's officially a cancer survivor, the 33-year-old is premiering a documentary titled 'Silverback: The Trent Williams Story' which debuts on Dec. 14.
While Williams was unhappy with the way Washington handled his situation following his diagnosis, he insisted that he has no hard feelings toward the organization. Williams' comments are consistent with what he said prior to San Francisco's meeting with Washington last fall, where he said he has "no ill will" towards his former club.
"I don't really want to badmouth the organization. I'm kind of past that point," Williams said. "I don't really have hard feelings for them or anything like that. I just felt at that time, it was time for a change. I just felt like we were on two different levels at that point. I don't hold that against the organization. There are different people there now."
Williams finished off talking about his tenure in Washington by saying he understands the business side of the situation but is thankful he got a fresh start with the 49ers.
"One thing you don't do in business is put your personal feelings into it," he said. "That was just me, coming from a fight. I wasn't myself, didn't feel like myself and maybe I was a little more sensitive to that fact. But all in all, it was time for a fresh start."
