Patriots DC Terrell Williams Beats Cancer, Returns Ahead of Super Bowl LX: “It Means Everything”
FOXBORO - Before Terrell Williams coaches in the biggest game of his career, he’s already secured the most important win of his life.
The Patriots defensive coordinator is cancer-free.
After a four-month battle with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, Williams has received a clean bill of health. Diagnosed back on September 11, the 51-year-old spent the season fighting a very different kind of opponent-one that had spread throughout his body. Now, just days before Super Bowl LX, he’s back with the team and set to travel with them to the Bay Area.
“All of the doctors, all of the nurses at Mass General, and everyone that’s taken blood samples, all the people there, they’re so important and good at what they do,” Williams said. “I appreciate those guys.
And I appreciate this organization and the people of New England. When I say that, I mean it.
I’m just shocked at how kind the people are up here. And it’s been unbelievable.”
He added, “Hopefully we can bring a smile to their faces on Sunday.”
Even while undergoing treatment, Williams remained a presence in Foxboro. He stayed engaged with the team, attending meetings and staying close to his players. That consistency, even in the face of a life-threatening illness, left a mark.
“It means everything,” said linebacker Christian Elliss. “He’s a great coach, he’s a great man. He’s been one of my biggest supporters all year.”
The team first learned of his clean bill of health from head coach Mike Vrabel, who shared the news in a team meeting just before their divisional-round playoff win over Houston. It was a moment that lifted the entire locker room.
“Man, it was hard to see him go through what he went through,” said defensive tackle Milton Williams. “But everything ended up working out.
God’s got his hand on him, and he’s blessed to be out of that situation. So him coming back, it’s big for our team to continue to play hard for him and play hard for each other.”
Williams’ battle began shortly after the Patriots’ Week 1 loss to the Raiders. He’d been feeling off-nausea, flu-like symptoms, vomiting the night before.
At the urging of Vrabel and head athletic trainer Jim Whalen, he went to an urgent care clinic in Foxboro. Initially, doctors believed it was a stomach virus.
But further testing revealed something much more serious.
“They thought it was lymphoma at first,” Williams said. “It had spread all through my body: up in my collarbone, hips, groin, through my legs. It was all over, and it was super aggressive.”
The diagnosis forced Williams to step away from the team. A biopsy revealed it was prostate cancer-aggressive and advanced. He immediately began treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, starting with a month of medication before beginning chemotherapy in mid-October.
“Like a lot of people, when I hear cancer, I automatically think death,” Williams admitted. “That was just in my head.
And it was like, ‘OK, am I dying? What’s this gonna look like?
What’s the treatment gonna look like? Am I gonna be really sick?’
All these things were running through my head. And how do we navigate this with the team?”
But through it all, he kept showing up when he could. Even as he battled through five rounds of chemo-each spaced three weeks apart-he made his way to the facility, connecting with players and coaches. He’d walk the halls with a smile, handing out small gifts to defenders who came up with takeaways in the previous game.
For players, his presence was more than symbolic. It was motivating.
“I’m a perfectionist, so I try to be perfect in a lot of different things,” said captain Harold Landry back in October. “But with him being around, I just think to myself that I’m extremely blessed. And I don’t know, it’s just the attitude, everything that he is as a person, it just makes me go about my day in a much more positive light.”
Doctors told Williams the cancer could have taken his life. But his body responded well to treatment. By early January, he had beaten it.
“We only have a certain number of days on this Earth, and everything’s God-ordained,” Elliss said. “So for the fact that he’s able to get more and be able to spend more time with us and have a clean bill of health-it’s just amazing.”
Now, with the Super Bowl just days away, Williams is back where he belongs-on the sideline, with his team, preparing for the biggest stage in football. And while the Lombardi Trophy is the goal, for Williams and the Patriots, the victory that matters most has already been won.