Associated Press writer David Porter in Newark contributed.

Now that he can see clearly again Youth Ed Dickson Jersey , Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Brandon Williams is ready to resume his lucrative NFL career.

Williams has an eye disease called keratoconus, a degenerative disorder which warps the corneas and can potentially cause blindness if left untreated.

”It started to hinder my seeing the board when we went over plays, so I had to get it fixed,” Williams said. ”Once it starts messing with your craft, your career, you definitely have to put your attention on that before you do anything else.”

The condition is rare, and there is no cure. But it can be controlled by surgery.

”I was scared,” Williams acknowledged, ”but also relieved that there was a treatment out there that could help me.”

The procedure is called cross-linking, which limits the progression of the disease by strengthening the corneas. Williams had surgery on his more troublesome left eye before the 2017 season and had the right eye corrected earlier this month.

And now, the 340-pounder is eager to do his part to help the Ravens get back into the playoffs after a three-year absence.

”I can do everything I used to do,” Williams declared. ”Nothing is stopping me.”

That’s good news for the Ravens, who gave Williams a five-year, $52.5 million contract last year. Selected out of Missouri Southern State in the third round of the 2013 draft, the 29-year-old has been a vital cog in a Baltimore defense built first to stop the run.

Williams missed four games with a foot injury last year. The Ravens went 1-3 without him and 8-4 when he was in the lineup.

”He’s the main piece for our defense,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said.

Rajesh K. Rajpal Authentic Daniel Kilgore Jersey , M.D., founder of See Clearly Vision Group in Virginia and an expert on laser eye surgery, performed both operations on Williams’ eyes.

”It almost always affects both eyes – 98 to 99 percent of the time – but usually one eye will be more severe,” Rajpal said. ”Now that both eyes are done, Brandon should be fine. But we will continue to monitor him to make sure it doesn’t get worse.”

Williams wears contact lenses to aid his vision, but removes them on game days.

”In his case, the lenses he’s using allow him to function well enough in day-to-day activities,” Rajpal said. ”During the football season, he plays without the lens because he doesn’t want to take a chance of getting something beneath the lens and damaging his eye. That’s OK, because he’s doing things up close and a lot of it is about feel.”

Rajpal added: ”A baseball pitcher or a batter, it would be really tough for them to function without the contact lenses if they have this condition.”

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham has undergone cross-linking and wears contact lenses on the field.

When Williams first experienced blurry vision, he figured he needed LASIK surgery. But Rajpal says LASIK would actually further thin the cornea.

”When we’re doing the testing for LASIK, we do corneal topography, which maps the corneal curvature,” Rajpal said. ”If keratoconus is significant enough, we offer the cross-linking.”

If left untreated Authentic Walter Payton Jersey , the disease can be dangerous.

”Then we have to a corneal transplant,” Rajpal said. ”Fortunately, the vast majority don’t completely lose their vision.”

Williams nevertheless knows he avoided a potentially life-changing situation.

”I am thankful for having my sight,” he said. Then, with a chuckle, he added, ”I don’t have to be blind, so that’s a plus.”

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Chris Herndon says his arrest last weekend for driving while intoxicated does not reflect the person he is.

The New York Jets rookie tight end declined comment after practice Tuesday on details of the incident in which New Jersey State Police say Herndon crashed into another car on a New Jersey highway early last Saturday morning.

"I can't really speak much on it now," the fourth-round draft pick from Miami said. "It's still a pending legal matter, so it's not up to me to have a conversation about it right now."

Herndon was asked if there was anything he wanted Jets fans and others to know.

"This is not who I am," Herndon said while shaking his head. "But like I said, I can't really speak much on that."

Jets rookie tight end Chris Herndon isn't saying much about his arrest because legal issues are still pending. Meanwhile, coach Todd Bowles insists the team's disciplinary process is "fine." More from @DWAZ73 s://t.co/FEVKPNpdmn pic.nSpXnZqfeN

鈥?AP NFL (@AP_NFL) June 5, 2018

According to New Jersey State Police, the 22-year-old Herndon was driving his Nissan Armada westbound in Rockaway Township, about 35 miles west of New York City Youth Lamar Jackson Jersey , when he crashed into a Toyota Land Cruiser that was towing a trailer carrying another vehicle.

When troopers arrived, they arrested Herndon on suspicion of DWI and took him to a nearby state police barracks for an alcohol breath test. The test revealed a blood-alcohol level over New Jersey's limit of .08, according to State Police Sgt. Lawrence Peele, though he didn't say what the level was.

Herndon was released pending a court date in Rockaway Township. He also was given a summons for careless driving. Both Herndon and the driver of the Land Cruiser suffered minor injuries.

"I don't feel too bad (physically) right now," Herndon said. "I'm just dealing with everything and trying to stay focused."

This was the latest in a string of off-field issues for the Jets, who had had seven arrests in the last 13 months. Despite that, coach Todd Bowles isn't concerned that the team might be too lenient with its discipline with players.

"Our disciplinary process is fine," Bowles said. "There's nothing wrong with the disciplinary process. The arrests are going to happen, and you deal with them as they come."

Linebacker Dylan Donahue was arrested in February for DWI after New Jersey police said he crashed into a small bus while driving the wrong way inside the Lincoln Tunnel. Donahue was also arrested for DWI in May 2017 in Montana, and voluntarily checked into a rehabilitation facility in Florida in March.

Linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin was arrested in June 2017 and charged with misdemeanor assault after being accused of punching a man at a Manhattan nightclub. The case was later dropped.

Cornerback Rashard Robinson was accused in December of possessing marijuana-laced candy in Morris County. He was arrested and charged with drug possession and carelessly driving a 2018 Mercedes Benz.

Wide receiver Robby Anderson arrested in May 2017 at a Miami music festival and charged with felony resisting an officer with violence 鈥?but the charge was later dismissed. He also had felony charges against him dropped from an incident in January after he was arrested in Florida for allegedly fleeing from police at 105 mph and then threatening the officer's family.

"It's not a Jet problem or a league problem," Bowles said. "It's a nationwide problem. We deal with them on a daily basis as they come. ... Things happen in your 20s, and you treat them on an individual basis and you move on."

Bowles said the team regularly addresses the players about off-field issues, and reiterated that he and the Jets handle each as they happen.

"I'm not here to sit here and say I approve of it, because I don't," Bowles said. "Is it a problem? Yes. To lay all this on Chris, no Youth Minnesota Vikings Jerseys , we aren't going to lay all of it on him. He's got to take responsibility. We understand that and we deal with it in house, but I'm not going to sit here and be a spokesperson and say it's OK to drive drunk, because it's not."

Bowles would not rule out having a zero-tolerance policy regarding discipline, but nothing was imminent.

"We could have a different policy," Bowles said. "I'm not going to say never. But things change accordingly. There is nothing wrong with our policy right now. If you sign a contract and you're making $10, $20, $30 million, if that doesn't stop you or anything else, what else is going to stop you?"

As for Herndon, Bowles said there was nothing in the team's research on him before the draft in April to indicate the tight end would have any type of off-field issue.

"He had not had a problem," the coach said. "He does not have a glitch in his evaluation or anything. There's nothing to bring up. These things do happen."

Associated Press writer David Porter in Newark contributed.

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