How 49ers' Williams gained inspiration from Alex Smith

Share

Alex Smith underwent 17 surgeries and nearly lost his right leg -- and his life -- as the result of complications from a compound fracture he sustained during the 2018 season.

Trent Williams had a rare form of cancer on his scalp -- a condition that went undiagnosed for more than five years. He finally underwent surgery early in the 2019 offseason.

The former Washington teammates sat out the 2019 season. They are two of the great comeback stories of the NFL season.

Williams, whom the 49ers acquired in a trade to replace Joe Staley at left tackle, and Smith, Washington’s starting quarterback on their playoff push, will be on the field Sunday when the teams meet in Glendale, Ariz.

Williams told NBC Sports Bay Area that he gained inspiration from closely following Smith's journey to get back to the NFL.

“I don’t know if there are any words in the dictionary to describe the courage and the toughness he showed over these past couple of years," Williams said. "I know for me and my situation, I always kind of drew from that energy -- from me seeing him in the hospital bed, from multiple surgeries, just continuing to fight for his life. And he showed the drive to still get back out there and compete.

“When I was going through my situation, I just felt, ‘If Alex can do it, there’s no reason I should give up.’ It gets hard when you take a break from this sport. It’s so physical and it’s so taxing on your body, sometimes it would be hard getting back into the swing of things.”

Download and subscribe to the 49ers Talk Podcast

After a half-decade after noticing the abnormality on his scalp, Williams was finally diagnosed with dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) -- a rare type of skin cancer that begins in connective tissue cells in the middle layer of the skin.

“Just like a lot of cancers, when treated early enough, it’s no big deal,” Williams said. “But,  unfortunately, we let it sit there long enough to where my life had to come into jeopardy. But I was blessed … the doctors did an amazing job. I’m here before you today.”

Williams said he remained in contact with Smith during his arduous journey back to the NFL, which included four hospital stays. Smith had three stints of rehabilitation work at Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, which was built specifically to give care to severely injured military members.

Smith never wavered in his quest to someday return to play in the NFL.

“All of that was so inspiring to me because, honestly, if I was in his position, I can’t say that I would’ve woke up looking for my shoulder pads,” Williams said.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I would’ve had enough heart to even get through that. So to see somebody that I know, a guy I have a tremendous amount of respect for, a guy who’s been a heck of a player in his league -- his record speaks for itself -- but to see him continue to fight, knowing that he had more than enough resources just to sit back and kind of think about kicking his feet up on the beach somewhere with his family, I got a lot of respect for that and I can’t say enough about him.”

Williams also had nothing left to prove, either. A seven-time Pro Bowl player, Williams was inspired to return to top form because he believes God blessed him with unique attributes to thrive in the game of football.

RELATED: 49ers Overreactions: Backfield, secondary need complete overhaul

But he did not want to continue his career with Washington, due in part to his belief the organization mishandled his health situation. The 49ers and Washington finalized the trade before the third and final day of the draft.

“At that point, I would’ve regretted the moment walking away at that time,” said Williams, who is graded this season as the No. 2 left tackle in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. “I would’ve regretted that for the rest of my life. Because at that point, even though I’d went through the situation I went through, I was fine. And I was able-bodied. I just couldn’t quit.

“And watching football on Sundays and Thursdays, it just kept that fire burning and kept throwing wood in that fire place. I knew where I was supposed to be. And in mind, I was just going to work as hard as I could until I got back there.”

Contact Us