Inside The Huskies

Here's the NFL Scorecard for a Determined Ex-Husky: Dissly 2, Adversity 0

Former Washington tight end uses his Montana resolve to work his way though his physical challenges as a pro football player.

Dan Raley

Here's the NFL Scorecard for a Determined Ex-Husky: Dissly 2, Adversity 0
Here's the NFL Scorecard for a Determined Ex-Husky: Dissly 2, Adversity 0 /

Will Dissly is not a new NFL player.

That hasn't stop the Seattle Seahawks from treating him like one.

Dissly's return to the football field in pads on Monday, following a pair of debilitating injuries over a 13-month span, has been hailed as a victory by the franchise. And rightly so. 

At a time when adversity is tugging at everyone in countless ways during a global pandemic, the Montana native and former University of Washington tight end provided a moment of inspiration for everyone around him by simply pulling on his football gear and showing up.

By overcoming adversity that was piling on. By embracing his return. By sharing himself.

"It was like Christmas morning," Dissly told a large audience of teammates, media and fans watching him on a Zoom meeting.

Dissly has been one of the NFL's bright young stars but one of its more unfortunate players. Injuries have sorely tested him. Others with less resolve might have walked away from the game. 

As a rookie in 2018, he ruptured a patellar knee tendon in his fourth game at Arizona and his season was done. He left the field on a cart, looking a little dazed by what happened.

Will Dissly leaves the field in Arizona with an injury.
Will Dissly leaves the field in Arizona in 2018 after suffering a knee injury :: Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY sports

Last season, Dissly got off to a sensational start, catching 23 passes for 262 yards and 4 touchdowns, and tore an Achilles tendon. He had to start all over again to regain his health. 

Dissly looked healthy and upbeat as he joined in the initial Seahawks' workout on a sunny day. That's his nature to tackle adversity head on. Here's Corbin Smith's story from SeahawkMaven. 

Will Dissly had to be helped from the field in Cleveland nine months ago.
Will Dissly leaves the field in Cleveland last season with an Achilles tear :: Scott Galvin/USA TODAY sports

By all means, Dissly acknowledged it wasn't easy, especially getting hurt a second time after all the sacrifice to regain his health. He had his emotional rock bottom to hit.

"I don't want to say that lightly, but there was a good week or so where I was in a bad place mentality," he said. "It was kind of crushing."

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, always Mr. Positive when it comes to his pro football team and his players, made mention of Dissly's positive approach for combatting those career setbacks. He was impressed.

"Nine straight months, he never missed anything, he was never late for anything, and that has led him to the opportunity where he's back on the field already," Carroll said. 

With 10 games and two severe injuries under his belt, Dissly is back and that's made everyone in the organization happy. Least of all himself.

"It's exciting again to get back to doing the thing I love," he said.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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