RENTON — Seattle Seahawks reserve defensive tackle Jesse Williams will undergo kidney surgery after being diagnosed with cancer.
The team announced Williams’ diagnosis of papillary type 2 cancer Monday but did not provide details. In a statement, Williams says he is going to focus on his health and, “fighting this battle with a return to football as my ultimate goal.”
According to statistics from the American Cancer Society, the average age of people diagnosed with kidney cancer is 64 and kidney cancer for those under age 45 is rare. Williams is 24.
General manager John Schneider says Williams has overcome “a great deal in his life and we will support him in any way possible.”
Williams was taken by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2013 draft out of Alabama but he’s been plagued by knee injuries and is still awaiting his NFL debut.
Seattle signs WR Foxx, waives injured RB Bronson
The Seahawks signed wide receiver Deshon Foxx after he participated in the team’s rookie minicamp as a tryout player.
To clear a spot on the 90-man roster, the Seahawks waived/injured running back Demitrius Bronson.
Foxx started 23 of 38 games in his college career at Connecticut and caught 73 passes for 918 yards and three touchdowns. He was also a threat as a runner, carrying the ball 40 times for 277 yards and one TD.
Bronson signed with Seattle as a rookie free agent in June 2014 and spent the majority of the season on the Seahawks practice squad. He was signed to a futures contract in February after the Super Bowl, but did not participate in the recent rookie minicamp with a hamstring injury.
