Isaiah Williams opens up on overcoming depression by ignoring ‘lies’ before rise as Jets’ returner

Nypost · Aug 08, 2026 · 2319 words · By Steve Serby

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What to know about Isaiah Williams opens up on overcoming depression by ignoring ‘lies’ before rise as Jets’ returner

Jets kick return specialist Isaiah Williams fields some training camp Q&A from Post NFL columnist Steve Serby.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Jets kick return specialist Isaiah Williams fields some training camp Q&A from Post NFL columnist Steve Serby.

Why it matters

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Common ground

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Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Isaiah Williams opens up on overcoming depression by ignoring ‘lies’ before rise as Jets’ returner?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that It started around my freshman year at Illinois. I want to say it peaked around my sophomore year. [referring to anxiety and depression]?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/08/sports/jets-isaiah-williams-opens-up-on-overcoming…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

info Single Source 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “It started around my freshman year at Illinois. I want to say it peaked around my sophomore year. [referring to anxiety and depression]”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the provided evidence includes a general article about depression and a profile of the player, there is no independent third-party corroboration of the specific timeline (freshman/sophomore year) of his mental health struggles in the search results provided, other than the implied context of the claim itself.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2023 NCAA Di…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Illinois_Fighting_Illini_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Isaiah Neyor (born June 7, 2001) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_Neyor

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Isaiah Williams (born January 29, 2001) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_Williams_(wide_receiver…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Jets kick return specialist Isaiah Williams”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Isaiah Williams is a wide receiver and return specialist for the New York Jets. Wikipedia and news reports explicitly mention his role as a kick return specialist.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 season was the New York Jets' 55th in the National Football League (NFL), their 65th overall, their sixth and final under general manager Joe Douglas and their fourth and final under head coa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_New_York_Jets_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 season was the New York Jets' 56th in the National Football League (NFL), their 66th overall and their first under general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn. This season began …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_Jets_season

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+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 3: “I just got married closing on a year now. What’s her name? Samantha.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The search results for this claim returned irrelevant information about the biblical Book of Isaiah and unrelated people named Samantha. No evidence was found regarding Isaiah Williams' marriage.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — For All Mankind is an American science fiction drama television series created and written by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi and produced for Apple TV+. The series dramatizes an alternat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_For_All_Mankind_charac…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Samantha Montaño (born 1989/1990) is an American community organizer and politician who has served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 15th Suffolk district since 2023. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Montaño

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Swagger is an American sports drama television series created by Reggie Rock Bythewood. Loosely inspired by the experiences of NBA player Kevin Durant, the series premiered on October 29, 2021 on Appl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swagger_(TV_series)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “coming in as a big-time recruit as a quarterback at the University of Illinois”

CORROBORATED

SB Nation and Armchair Illini both confirm Isaiah Williams was a high-profile recruit (five-star) who committed to the University of Illinois as a quarterback before transitioning to wide receiver.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “my mom... went to Missouri State... and then she transferred to be closer to home [St. Louis].”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the search results regarding the educational history of Isaiah Williams' mother.

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Claim 6: “You played in college with Tommy DeVito.”

CORROBORATED

Wikipedia confirms Tommy DeVito played for the Illinois Fighting Illini, and a news report explicitly describes DeVito and Isaiah Williams hooking up for touchdowns in a spring game for Illinois.

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web search NEUTRAL — American football player (born 1998). Tommy DeVito.He played five seasons of college football for the Syracuse Orange and one with the Illinois Fighting Illini before signing with the New York Giants …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_DeVito_(American_footbal…

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web search NEUTRAL — Tommy DeVito is looking to take the role of QB1 in Champaign, and he is getting the starting reps in the spring game for Illinois.An Illinois defender was even flagged for pass interference on the pla…
https://saturdaytradition.com/illinois-football/tommy-devito…

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web search NEUTRAL — Tommy DeVito began his collegiate football journey in Central New York, committing to Syracuse University under head coach Dino Babers.
https://www.metroleague.org/where-did-tommy-devito-go-to-col…

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Claim 7: “I watched him last offseason when I was in Cincinnati [Marvin Mims]”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim mentions being in Cincinnati; one search result mentions the Jets signed him off the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad, which supports his presence there, but the specific detail about watching Marvin Mims is not independently corroborated in the provided text.

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web search NEUTRAL — Isaiah Williams may refer toIsaiah Williams (offensive lineman) (born 1993), American football offensive lineman. See also.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaiah_Williams

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web search NEUTRAL — Isaiah Williams player profile featuring career stats, fantasy ranking, & analytics data. See combine scores, SPARQ, measurables, and comparable players.
https://www.playerprofiler.com/nfl/isaiah-williams-2/

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web search NEUTRAL — Jets wide receiver Isaiah Williams talks to the media after practice. Bill Kostroun/New York Post. Last week, Jets wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson described Williams as “a heartbeat on offense.”
https://nypost.com/2026/08/17/sports/isaiah-williams-continu…

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Claim 8: “I was in Arizona, training with Altis.”

CORROBORATED

An NY Post interview explicitly quotes Isaiah Williams stating, 'I was in Arizona, training with Altis,' and other results confirm ALTIS is a speed training organization based in Phoenix, Arizona.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jets’ Isaiah Williams practices at training camp in Florham Park, New Jersey, on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Bill Kostroun for the NY Post.Q: You trained with Olympians in the offseason. A: I was in Ari…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/08/sports/jets-isaiah-williams-op…

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web search NEUTRAL — Watch Olympic medalist Andre De Grasse and 2017 IAAF Diamond League champion Chijindu Ujah tackle a high-quality sprint workout at ALTIS in Phoenix, Arizona, to hone their form for the 2018 season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCmGZR40mwQ

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web search NEUTRAL — What is altis all about? ALTIS is recognized globally as a leading authority in sports education, specializing in coaching excellence for speed, power, and strength training, across Track and Field, a…
https://altis.world/

verified

Claim 9: “When I was in Detroit I had the perfect opportunity to learn under Kalif Raymond... what I learned from being around Amon-Ra St. Brown.”

VERIFIED

A web search result confirms that undrafted rookie Isaiah Williams worked with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond during Detroit Lions practices.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2022 season was the Detroit Lions' 93rd in the National Football League (NFL), the 21st playing their home games at Ford Field and their second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Dan C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Detroit_Lions_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 season was the Detroit Lions' 95th in the National Football League (NFL), their 91st in Detroit, and their fourth under the head coach/general manager tandem of Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Detroit_Lions_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 season was the Detroit Lions' 96th in the National Football League (NFL) and their fifth under the head coach/general manager tandem of Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes. The Lions failed to match…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Detroit_Lions_season

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.