Less than three months ago, Seahawks defensive end Jesse Williams was diagnosed with cancer. Friday night, he will be playing in Seattle's first preseason game.
Seahawks DL will play Friday, less than 3 months after having his kidney removed
Jesse Williams was diagnosed with cancer in late May. He’ll be chasing quarterbacks around the field Friday night.
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Williams had one of his kidneys removed May 28 as a result of his diagnosis of papillary type 2 cancer. He was cleared to return to the field for light workouts just two weeks later, and activated from the non-football Injury list Aug. 6.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll talked about Williams’ comeback during Thursday’s practice.
“Jesse’s going,” said Carroll. “We are going to play Jesse. Can you imagine that? What a story. He’s never, never hinted that he wouldn’t make it back and get ready. He’s practiced well. He’ll play -- we’ll control the number of snaps he plays -- but he’s going to be out there battlin’.”
It is a remarkable turnaround for the former fifth-round pick, who spent the first two seasons of his professional career on the injured reserve list. Williams was a starting defensive lineman for the Alabama Crimson Tide in their 2011 and 2012 championship campaigns.
Williams is the second NFL player this year who has been cleared to play less than one year after a cancer diagnosis. Chiefs safety Eric Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in December, and is expected to play in Kansas City's preseason opener Saturday.
If you had forgotten over the offseason that NFL players are freakish human beings, Williams’ and Berry’s miraculous returns should remind you of that.
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