Trent Williams’ tumor underscores longstanding question: How skilled are team doctors?

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The late George Carlin used to say that, somewhere in the country, there’s a physician who is technically the worst doctor in America. And that someone has an appointment with him tomorrow.

While there’s no evidence that the worst doctor in America is providing healthcare services to NFL players, there’s often reason to believe that these doctors aren’t the best in the country, simply because they have been hired by pro football teams. The story told by Washington tackle Trent Williams at his locker today regarding a tumor on his skull that grew for five-plus years while team doctors downplayed it underscores this reality that teams don’t always hire the best of the best.

FIVE-PLUS YEARS! If Williams’ contention is accurate, that’s beyond unacceptable.

When Williams’ absence from offseason workouts first became noticed in June, we heard that his anger with the team traced to the fact that doctors cleared him to play in 2018 despite the tumor. When attempting to confirm this contention with the team, we were not-so-gently reminded that there “are people in the media who have been sued for violating laws.”

There also are people in the medical profession who have been sued for malpractice. And that’s something Williams should be exploring, especially if there’s evidence that the growth began as benign and later became cancerous after it wasn’t removed.

The team has not yet elaborated on the situation. Again, if Williams’ contention is true, the organization’s failure to undertake any apparent effort to make things right with Williams should make any free agent think long and hard about signing there. Instead of finding a way to work with Williams in an effort to address his concerns, they squatted on him for months.

They should have traded him before the deadline. At this point, they should, at a minimum, pay him for the rest of the season and then trade him for the best offer they can get.