Failing to trade for Trent Williams...

[Mr. Scot]

... is starting to sound like a wise move.

Remember Bashaud Breeland? This story has some similar vibes to it.

Standoff between Washington and Williams getting stranger

He returned to the team on Tuesday after no trade happened, with the obvious goal of ensuring that, come 2020, he’d be only a year away from free agency. Washington, if it chooses, can (continue to) play hardball with Williams, arguing that his inevitable failure to be on the active roster for at least eight games tolls his contract by a full year, keeping him from becoming a free agent until after the 2021 season.

Then came Wednesday. Williams passed a physical, until he didn’t. For the first time in recent memory (or perhaps ever), a player who received a thumb’s up from doctors retroactively failed the examination. In this specific case, Williams has discomfort when wearing a helmet, due to the area on his head where a tumor previously was.

There’s an element of poetry at play here. Whether discomfort is genuine or of the Jalen Ramsey variety, the relationship between Williams and Washington went haywire because of the team’s mishandling of the growth that was on his head. Unlike Ramsey, however, it won’t be enough for Williams to decline to practice and play due to pain in his head. Inevitably, Washington will dub the condition a non-football injury, shut him down for the season, refuse to pay him, and attempt to toll his contract.

Williams’ next move would be to challenge the designation, claiming that it’s actually a football injury, not because it happened on the field but because (as the argument would go, if he makes this specific argument) team doctors allowed him to keep playing with the growth on his head, and that he wouldn’t currently be suffering pain when trying to wear a helmet if they’d simply advised him to shut it down last season and have the tumor removed. Whether that argument holds water depends on whether a doctor would express that opinion within the confines of a grievance.

Regardless, the next few weeks may feel a little like watching Kasparov play Karpov after plying them with a fifth of vodka.

[tarheelpride]

That whole organization is a dumpster fire from the top down. I don't blame Williams for what he did, because it does seem the medical staff is borderline incompetent.

[jumpman910]

Nothing weird about this situation at all, Williams just isn't gonna forgive the redskins medical staff for missing a tumor in his head. 

Imagine if the growth in his head WASN'T benign. 

Williams knew his season wouldn't count if he eventually had to report to Washington out of shape, so he came back in tip top shape and then said "wait this helmet isnt comfortable" 

Regardless what happens next, his season will count

[Forty-Eight]

Never believed we wanted Williams. You don’t trade up in the 2nd round for Little while having Moton coming up soon for a new contract and trading a high pick for Williams. Doesn’t make any sense especially with Little playing well at LT when healthy.

[raz]

this is not like breeland at all.  the team dr's fugged him hard

[mc52beast]

Dude is probably still upset they missed a tumor, I had one removed 3 months before doctors said it would’ve killed me so they aren’t anything to mess with. 

[mc52beast]

Wish someone knew what Marty’s “plan” is since he has an open roster spot and decided not to fill it.

[cookinbrak]

Was it inside his skull? That should be reason enough not to put on a helmet for at least a year.

[jumpman910]

6 minutes ago, raz said:

this is not like breeland at all.  the team dr's fugged him hard

Nothing close to it at all

 

[Mr. Scot]

9 minutes ago, jumpman910 said:

Regardless what happens next, his season will count

It might, but I think that's a long way from being guaranteed.

9 minutes ago, Forty-Eight said:

Never believed we wanted Williams. 

Neither did I. A number of fans were pushing for it though.

That said, I'm not convinced yet that either Little or Daley offers us a long-term solution.

There's still time to determine that, of course.

[LinvilleGorge]

6 minutes ago, jumpman910 said:

Nothing weird about this situation at all, Williams just isn't gonna forgive the redskins medical staff for missing a tumor in his head. 

Imagine if the growth in his head WASN'T benign. 

Williams knew his season wouldn't count if he eventually had to report to Washington out of shape, so he came back in tip top shape and then said "wait this helmet isnt comfortable" 

Regardless what happens next, his season will count

This. The guy said he was never playing for the Redskins again and I think it's pretty obvious at this point that he absolutely meant it.

[Mr. Scot]

9 minutes ago, raz said:

this is not like breeland at all.  the team dr's fugged him hard

It is in the sense that he was healthy, and then he wasn't.

It's not an exact parallel, but some of the same weirdness.

And of course it's the Redskins, whose medical staff could probably stand to be scrutinized just a bit.

[Mr. Scot]

1 minute ago, LinvilleGorge said:

This. The guy said he was never playing for the Redskins again and I think it's pretty obvious at this point that he absolutely meant it.

That part I agree with.

I do kind of wonder how things like the Brown, Ramsey and Williams situations are going to affect upcoming CBA negotiations.

The owners are going to want conditions to prevent this kind of stuff from happening in the future. The Players Association will be pushing in the exact opposite direction.

Also worth remembering that David Tepper is expected to play a large role in those negotiations, and he's got a rep for being a hardass (hell, look at how he got the team).

[LinvilleGorge]

4 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

That part I agree with.

I do kind of wonder how things like the Brown, Ramsey and Williams situations are going to affect upcoming CBA negotiations.

The owners are going to want conditions to prevent this kind of stuff from happening in the future. The Players Association will be pushing in the exact opposite direction.

Also worth remembering that David Tepper is expected to play a large role in those negotiations, and he's got a rep for being a hardass (hell, look at how he got the team).

Will he show Drew Brees a pie chart?