5 NFL stars who battled cancer ft. Trent Williams

#3 James Conner

James Conner has been brutally honest about his battle with cancer, which occurred before the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him. His doctor told him that he was about a week away from death.

The running back out of the University of Pittsburgh had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It was discovered during a routine medical check as he rehabbed from an MCL injury.

So serious was Conner’s condition that tumors started growing around his heart. He detailed how bad his condition was in an interview to DKPittsburghSports.com.

“The doctor said, you got about a week, if you didn’t get this treated, you had about a week, the rate this thing was growing.”

By the end of the college season, Conner was declared cancer-free. He has since gone on to star in the NFL, not letting his previous condition hold him back.

Conner's shirt sales were among the highest in NFL right after he was drafted in 2017.

Expand Tweet

#4 Brandon Bolden

Brandon Bolden was a valued member of the New England Patriots’ special teams unit as the franchise reached Super Bowl LII.

However, the defeat to the Eagles mattered little to Bolden as he was diagnosed with skin cancer in the offseason.

Epidermoid Carcinoma is the medical name of Bolden’s condition and surgery was the only option for the NFL star.

Surgery left him with temporary paralysis on the right side of his face, although he was soon declared cancer-free.

Bolden needed a number of years before his facial muscles returned to full mobility. In the four years that have passed since 2018, Bolden has been a regular feature in the NFL.

#5 Trent Williams

Trent Williams is one of the most explosive offensive linemen in the NFL today. He has helped turn the San Francisco 49ers into regular contenders in the playoffs, yet he had to come through an even tougher battle away from the field.

He was diagnosed with Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans, a truly rare form of cancer. Williams was fairly critical of the medical staff in Washington after he went to them in 2014 for a bump on his head.

They dismissed it as nothing more serious than a cyst, but it continued to grow, leading to widespread criticism from other players in the league.

“How does the NFL miss this?” asked Pacman Jones.

Luck was on Williams’ side though. The tumor was removed and the tackle was then declared cancer free.

He missed an entire year of football in 2019, but returned in 2020 with the Niners and was once again a dominant blocking presence. He made it to the Pro Bowl in back-to-back campaigns.