Cards’ Dan Williams welcomes normalcy in return from tragedy

At this point, any sense of normalcy is a relief to Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Dan Williams.

Williams missed a pair of games after his father was killed while driving to New Orleans for the Cardinals’ Week 3 game against the Saints, but the fourth-year pro returned to action for the Cardinals against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium.

“The thing that takes your mind off tragedy is football,” said Williams, who recorded a tackle in the Cardinals’ 22-6 win Sunday. “It helps to get some kind of normalcy in my life.”

Williams said he experienced a similar situation during his senior year at Tennessee, when his paternal grandmother died during the week of the Volunteers’ season opener. The wreck that killed Williams’ father also hospitalized his sister and mother, though both were expected to recover from their injuries.

Williams said that it “meant a lot” to him that team president Michael Bidwill and eight other team members attended the funeral.

“I definitely call the Arizona Cardinals my family,” Williams said.

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