Opinion: Redskins might not deserve all blame for the Trent Williams saga

Mike Jones | USA TODAY

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In the two decades that Daniel Snyder has owned the Washington Redskins, the once-proud organization has had no shortage of dysfunction.

Redskins fans can tick off one mind-bending episode after another: Steve Spurrier’s “5-11, not very good.” Jim Zorn’s swinging gate. The bingo-caller. Albert Haynesworth’s conditioning tests. Robert Griffin III’s falling out with Mike Shanahan. Scot McCloughan’s heroic entrance and disgraced exit. Bruce Allen’s “Winning off the field,” and “Damn good” culture.

But the Redskins and their fans witnessed another bizarre scene this week. Prized left tackle-turned-disgruntled employee Trent Williams sat in front of his locker and explained the health scare that soured him on the organization that selected him fourth overall in 2010.

“There’s no trust,” Williams said bluntly Thursday as he sat just a room over from from the trainers’ department, staffed by medical personnel he accused of misdiagnosing a cancerous growth on his head for six years. Williams also sat just a floor directly below the offices of Snyder and Allen, who have paid him $101.1 million over the course of his career.

Adding to the bewildering setting, the Redskins shortly after issued a statement declaring they had requested the NFL’s Management Council and the NFL Players Association conduct a review of the medical records and care given to Williams. They didn’t say it, but it felt like team officials don’t trust the words of the player that doesn’t trust them.

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An already murky standoff only became more cloudy.

For months, the two sides had remained tight-lipped about the source of Williams’ dissatisfaction.

Everyone could only go off of the breadcrumbs offered by various news media reports that revealed Williams at various points of the offseason had requested both a contract extension and a trade.

Since the spring, Williams remained underground, and the Redskins – through Allen –maintained that if the seven-time Pro Bowl lineman wanted to play in 2019, he would do so in their uniform.

Williams saw fit to end his silence having reported to team headquarters after the NFL’s trade deadline passed on Tuesday. He did so the day after failing a physical because his helmet caused discomfort on the area where he had surgery.

The Redskins have received a two-week roster exemption to give them time to find a more suitable helmet for Williams. But it’s unclear when or if Williams will play again for the Redskins.

“We’ll see how this helmet thing turns out,” he said. “But like I said, I’m here.”

Although Williams at last shared his thoughts and feelings, there are many contradicting circumstances involved.

For example, Williams said the Redskins believed that football was more important than his health and life. He said that no team officials visited him during his hospital stay in Chicago following surgery. However, Snyder did fly head athletic trainer Larry Hess and Williams and his family to Chicago, to Williams’ native Houston for a second opinion and back to Chicago, where he had surgery. Hess spent roughly a week in Chicago to ensure the well-being of Williams and his family, according to a person who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter.

Williams said on Thursday that his discontent isn’t about money. However, he did confirm that he had talked to team officials about his contract, which doesn't guarantee his 2020 salary. Williams said he didn’t know what premier player in the NFL plays without guaranteed money. (Very few NFL players have fully guaranteed deals, however.)

Three people with knowledge of talks with Williams told USA TODAY Sports that Williams had asked for an extension and asked for a trade after expressing his distrust over his medical care. Upon learning the Redskins would not trade him, he again asked for an extension before informing the team he no longer wanted to play for the organization. The people requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly.

Williams stayed away as long as he could but reported this week to ensure that he didn’t lose an accrued season toward free agency. He expressed love for his teammates, and respect for Snyder. (An interesting side note in all of this: If there’s anyone who would’ve been sympathetic to Williams’ cancer scare, it’s Snyder, who like his wife, Tanya Snyder, is a cancer survivor. The NFL's Think Pink initiative was started by Tanya Snyder.)

But when asked about his respect for Allen, Williams said, “Next question.”

There’s no quick and easy resolution to this situation. The Redskins missed out on that opportunity when they refused to negotiate for a trade earlier in the season because Allen believed he could get Williams to change his mind. Then this week the team commanded compensation that competitors deemed far too high for the 31-year-old Williams.

The timeline for the investigation is unknown, but much of it hinges on the speed at which medical records and interviews are provided to the team of investigators. Because of their long track record of poor decisions, dysfunction and mismanagement, it’s easy to assume more wrong-doing of the Redskins. However, multiple dots in Williams’ version of the story don’t connect. And Williams’ agent, Vincent Taylor, has refused to reply to multiple calls, voicemails and text messages.

This latest twist in the Williams-Redskins saga serves as another distraction that this franchise didn’t need. Interim coach Bill Callahan and his staff and members of the front office are trying to both salvage a season and evaluate talent for the future. Snyder and Allen also have yet another coaching search to conduct.

But the matter will continue to hang over the 1-7 Redskins for some time.

Regardless of how many truths or half-truths come out over the coming days and weeks, one thing is clear: The Redskins could have saved themselves a lot of trouble and frustration by simply trading Williams when they had the chance. Instead, this just joins that lengthy list of miscalculations that have led to years of futility.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones and listen to the Football Jones podcast on iTunes.