The New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator has given NFL fans an update on his health amid final preparations before the team plays in the Super Bowl.
Terrell Williams was diagnosed with prostate cancer after the team’s first game of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, as the season comes to a close, Williams has revealed that he is cancer-free.
Speaking to the media Monday ahead of the big game, Williams explained that he realized something was wrong when he vomited several times the night before the Raiders game. He told the team’s head coach, Mike Vrabel, the day of the game and was checked by the team’s medical staff before going to Urgent Care.
“As they were doing tests, that’s when they found out about the cancer, so thank God that I had the stomach flu because if I didn’t, it just would have been business as usual,” Williams said.
His doctors originally thought he had lymphoma because of how the cancer had spread, but after going to the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to start a treatment course, it was discovered that Williams had an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
Throughout the season, Williams remained in Boston and was unable to travel with the team to away games. The Super Bowl marks the first time this season that Williams will travel with the Patriots as the team faces off against the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of the 2015 Super Bowl, which saw the Patriots take home the coveted Vince Lombardi trophy.
“This could be a preseason game, and I’d be happy to be here with these guys after kind of what I’ve been through, what we’ve been through,” Williams said. “It’s been joyous for me just to watch them develop and watch them buy into the message that [Vrabel] is preaching.”
“Hopefully we can bring a smile to [fans'] faces on Sunday,” he added.
Players on the team applauded Williams for his ability to continue to show up for them despite needing to also stay on top of his health.
“I feel like he never lost it,” linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson said. “He still had the charismatic energy and kept a smile on his face; he kept being positive. You wouldn’t be able to know anything was going on with him. I appreciated everything that he showed throughout the process.”
Held at Levi's Stadium in California, the Super Bowl will take place February 8 at 6:30pm ET.
