Best Super Bowl storyline? Terrell Williams is cancer-free, back on the Patriots sideline
The New England Patriots do not need to look far for perspective in Super Bowl LX.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Away from football, Terrell Williams could’ve feared for his life. He had cancer. He had no clue what the future entailed.
Growing up in South Central LA, he was always taught to bury his emotions.
Not anymore.
If the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator has one message to share for anyone dealing with a serious illness, it’s to let it all out. The more he opened up to his wife, to his 13-year-old son — to everyone — the better Williams felt.
“Speak on the dark times,” Williams said on Monday night. “Because somebody’s going through what you’re going through. And the only failure in that is not talking about it.”
He looked around at the group of reporters assembled. This was his first public appearance since returning.
“All of us in this circle right now, we all have something that we’re going through and you can’t do it alone. That’s what I’ve realized. You just can’t do it alone.”
We’ve got storylines galore to track here in the Bay Area ahead of Super Bowl LX. Both the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots offer plenty. But, honestly, it’s hard to find anything more gripping than Williams’ return to the sideline. Following New England’s Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, Williams was stricken with a stomach flu. Head coach Mike Vrabel urged him to get checked out by the Patriots’ medical staff, and that’s when Williams learned he had an aggressive form of prostate cancer. The “possibility of death” was real. Suddenly, a sport all coaches obsess over all hours of the day felt exceptionally trivial.
He received treated at Mass General over the coming months and was finally declared cancer-free in mid-January.
Medically cleared, Williams will now return to the sideline… for the Super Bowl.
“We’re here for one reason,” Williams said, “and that’s to win a football game.”
Through the Patriots’ 14-3 season, he tried to stay as connected as possible. Williams would pop into occasional Monday meetings to cheer on his guys. Whenever he visited the facility, players flocked his direction to talk life. Not football. In support, they’ve been wearing “T-Strong” shirts.
At Media Night, the 51-year-old repeatedly credited friends, family and colleagues in the football community for keeping his spirits up. He read every single letter sent his way from fans. And one of the best messages he received was from a custodian who worked for the Tennessee Titans his days with the club. Hearing how much he meant to this employee meant more than any win. Williams could see the impact he’s made on the lives of others.
Meanwhile, in his stead, inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr took over defensive playcalling and helped turn this Patriots defense into one of the league’s best.
New England finished the regular season fourth in scoring defense (18.8 ppg), eighth in yards (294 ypg) and has gotten nastier through three postseason wins. Only the 2000 Baltimore Ravens have allowed fewer points through three playoff wins ahead of a Super Bowl. Williams praised Kuhr as “an unbelievable coach and an unbelievable person.” He knew the defense was in great hands. He’d watch the tape and offer his opinion, but Williams also didn’t want to mess with a good thing. He knew Kuhr, 36, has his own personality. He was with the young coach when he first broke into the NFL with the Titans in 2020.
“I’m proud of him,” Williams said. “It’s bigger than football and that’s why I think we’re having success. It’s not just X’s and O’s. There’s a human element to it.”
Kuhr will call the game on Sunday vs. Seattle’s high-powered offense.
Williams’ presence alone should supply a major emotional lift to players.
The coordinator does see his fight helping on the field. If he learned anything through all those round of chemo, all the hormone therapy, all the pills, it’s that nobody can do anything in life alone. To him, that’s the essence of coaching. You’ve got to rely on your staff. You’ve to communicate all the time with those around you.
Mentally, he’s in a very healthy place. He’s not holding anything in.
“It’s been an unbelievable dream,” Williams said. “I’ve had a lot of great people that have helped along the way.”
Moments after saying how much he has missed this sense of normalcy, Terrell Williams had quite a scare inside the San Jose Convention Center. Media Night can be a marathon. Toward the end of this hour-long session — chatting with Go Long and two other reporters — Williams got lightheaded and started to collapse to the floor. We helped break his fall and paramedics arrived soon. It didn’t take long for Williams to regain his wits. He was in good spirits, saying he was only dehydrated and needed some water. Moments later, he was taken away on a wheelchair.
The Patriots confirmed that Williams was able to ride the team bus back to the Patriots hotel. By all accounts, he’s OK.
If anyone here for the Super Bowl knows to take life one day at a time, it’s Terrell Williams.
Great story Tyler, you are a phenomenal writer and reporter. Glad to know Terrell is okay. Go Pats!
Incredible story. What gets me is how Williams shifted from bottling everything up to actively opening up, thats where real strength showed through I think. The part about reading every fan letter and treasuring that custodian's message really underscors how perspective changes when facing something like this. Sports suddenly becomes the backdrop to something way more meaningful.