How the 49ers are supporting Williams and Ward through unimaginable tragedies originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Tragedy struck the 49ers organization once again as the family of Trent Williams announced the deaths of their stillborn son and previously his twin sister on Monday.

Coach Kyle Shanahan was emotional as he shared that the All-Pro lefty spent time with his family last week to grieve after the family’s loss on Nov. 24.

“He did a little bit of that last week,” Shanahan said, his voice slightly cracking, of Williams’ absence from the facility. “Something happened last week and he was in the hospital with her and got to meet him and say goodbye. And then he had to cremate him on Friday, so he’s been dealing with that and working on it. But we’re all just trying to be there for him.”

Shanahan believes that players’ closeness can provide each other with much-needed support during these incredibly sad events. Although difficult, they often find comfort in their brothers.

“When you have to deal with tragedies like this, it’s hard as a coach, it’s hard as a friend, it’s hard as a family member, it’s hard for everyone,” Shanahan said. “But we spend a lot of time together, and that’s the cool thing about being on a football team.

“Whatever you are going through, good or bad, we go through it together. I like that they have that: They have a group of people they can go to, a group of people they could see every day. And you can never escape all of that sadness, but I think it’s nice that these guys have another way to get on the football field and connect with teammates and things like that.”

A little over a month ago, on October 29th, 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward announced the death of his almost 2-year-old daughter Amani Joy. Ward spent several weeks away from the facility grieving with his family and missed three games.

Shanahan was proud of Ward’s return to the field Sunday and what it meant emotionally.

“I thought it was a big step from Mooney this week, just on a personal level,” Shanahan said. “When something like that happens, you don’t really want to get involved in anything again. You have to pull yourself together somehow. And I was really proud of him for fighting through this week.”

“Even though it was hard and I’m sure he didn’t always want to do it, but he got through the week of training, got through the game and I think that was a real step for him to just move forward in his life. And that’s the thing that everyone has to do in situations like this, but it’s nice when you have a group of people that you’re with every day and that you’re close to that can help you through that.”

Williams, who missed two games with an ankle injury, is still undergoing rehab to return to the field. Shanahan is confident that will happen sooner or later, but it will depend on how Williams’ body responds to the treatment.

“Trent is really trying to get back here,” Shanahan said. “His ankle is not healing the way we would like. We’re not managing to reduce the swelling, so I want to say it’s day by day, week by week, because we’re expecting the swelling to go down, and that’s just not the case.

“We’re trying to be patient with it. I know he’s patient with this. Hopefully it takes a turn in the right direction this week, but that hasn’t happened yet so there are no guarantees.”

Regardless of the level of grief and emotion, Shanahan emphasized that there is still work to be done on the field, just like in any other profession. As people go through life’s ups and downs, they are expected to go back to work at some point, no matter how heavy the burden of loss may be.

“You have to,” Shanahan said. “That is the challenge. Many things happen in life, but everyone has a job to do and that’s why you have to respect these challenges. You have to respect what people are going through, but you also have to help bring people together to get the job done. And we are a team that counts on everyone.”

The 49ers return to the practice field on Wednesday after resting and rehabbing on Tuesday to prepare for their next game, just days away.

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