Patriots' Terrell Williams, in his first year as DC, realizes his health is the priority

FOXBORO, Mass.

Mike Vrabels Wednesday news conference was scheduled for 12:55 p.m.

ET, and thats exactly when the first-year coach of the New England Patriots arrived in the media room at Gillette Stadium.

Wasting no time with pleasantries, Vrabel went directly to what he believed to be the news of the day: So, due to some unforeseen ongoings here with Terrell ...

Terrell Williams will be away for the next few days, OK? Advertisement Williams, 51, is in his first season as defensive coordinator of the Patriots, but its the third time this year hes had health issues.

In August, he collapsed on a practice field and was treated for what the team said was dehydration.

This past spring, Williams had what he called a little medical scare, I mean it wasnt a little medical scare, it was a medical scare, and was ordered by his doctor to remain at his Detroit home while recuperating.

Heres more Williams from a May video session he held with the media: While Im talking about it, I want to talk about the seriousness of taking care of our health and loving the people you love, because when something traumatic happens like that, and it was traumatic for me, it gave me an opportunity to reflect.

Sometimes, as coaches, as media folks and athletes and doctors and whoever, we think were invincible ...

and youre not.

Im just telling you, youre not.

So this was a good wakeup call for me.

While Vrabel said this latest health scare is nothing related to the incident from March, its clear Williams is having a challenging year.

Its possible he wont be traveling to Miami this weekend for the Patriots Week 2 matchup against the Dolphins, which we can agree is a secondary issue, defensive or otherwise.

Hes said so himself.

Williams is not the first member of the sports coaching/managing community who has chosen to speak publicly about health issues.

And hes not the first member of that community to take time away from their team to deal with those issues.

Its a 21st-century thing, I think, partly because of the fast-paced, all-news-all-the-time world in which we live, but also because people, even sports people, even grizzled coaches, are more willing to share these types of stories with the public.

Going back to 1999 at the end of the 20th century, for those keeping score Joe Torre took a leave of absence as manager of the New York Yankees to recover from prostate surgery.

He received an uproarious ovation at Yankee Stadium when he returned on May 18 of that year.

Advertisement In 2015, then-Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell stepped away from the team in August to be treated for Stage 1 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, returning to the club in 2016.

Farrells longtime buddy Terry Francona has suffered a variety of health issues over the years, partly as a result of injuries he sustained during his playing days.

He missed most of the second half of the 2021 season as Clevelands manager due to a staph infection that required surgery.

Chuck Paganos first year as an NFL head coach was in 2012 with the Indianapolis Colts, but he had to leave the team in November after being diagnosed with leukemia.

Bruce Arians stepped in as interim head coach for the remainder of the regular season and got the Colts into the playoffs, at which time Pagano, now in remission, returned as coach.

(The Colts lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round.) Gregg Popovich, the longtime coach of the San Antonio Spurs who suffered a stroke last November and missed the remainder of the season, is now transitioning into a front-office position with the team.

In college basketball, Mike Krzyzewski took a leave of absence from Duke in 2017 to undergo back surgery.

What stands out from these examples, and from many other cases, is the candor with which everyone spoke about their health crises, their treatment and their comebacks.

And thats a good thing.

Not only does it humanize them, but it also sends out a message to every young, aspiring coach in every sport: Dont let this business, dont let any business, consume you.

I dont remember the Terrell Williams video news conference from May.

But after watching it Wednesday afternoon, its hard not to root for the guy.

And not just because the 2025 season represents his first shot at being an NFL defensive coordinator, this after more than a quarter century working his way up the ladder, including six seasons working under Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans.

More than that, this is a man who believes theres more to life than football.

The challenge now for Williams is to heed his own words.

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