Football is a cruel, unforgiving game. Often it affects its players long after they have wrapped up their playing days. Soft tissue injuries, CTE, joint and ligament and muscular-skeletal issues; most players deal with chronic pain the rest of their lives.
Yet, most don’t step away or quit until either no one wants them, or they can’t physically do it anymore. In the case of Las Vegas Raider tight end Foster Moreau, it took a scary medical diagnosis to persuade him to step away. Check this out.
Tight end Foster Moreau, currently a free agent, said this week that he is stepping away from the game to battle cancer.
The 25-year-old had played his entire career with the Las Vegas Raiders but only learned about the cancer diagnosis when he visited another team after becoming a free agent.
Moreau, a popular free agent target, had been visiting teams, but hadn’t signed any contracts, and the diagnosis explains why this is the case. Thankfully, the condition was discovered during a routine team physical during a free agency visit. Moreau posted the following message to social media.
“Through somewhat of a miraculous process, this Free Agency period has been life changing for me,” he wrote on Twitter. “During a routine physical conducted by the Saint’s medical team down in New Orleans, I’ve come to learn that I have Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and will be stepping away from football at this time to fight a new opponent: Cancer.”
“I’m grateful for the support and thankful for people who have stood firm with me,” he continued. “There hasn’t been a single step I’ve taken without hundreds of people lighting the path before me, and I will continue to seek their guidance. That being said, I’ll go kick this thing’s ass and get back to doing what I love! AMDG!”
Free agent #Raiders tight end Foster Moreau says during a routine physical conducted by the #Saints medical team in New Orleans, he came to learn that he has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and says he will be stepping away from Football.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Foster❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/TYxLwZPEhu
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) March 22, 2023
Moreau has the more treatable form of Hodgkin’s, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his work cut out for him. Others in the NFL have beaten the disease and went on to star in the league, like Pittsburgh and Arizona running back James Connor, and Kansas City Safety Eric Berry. Both players recovered to play at high levels in the league. This bodes well for Foster Moreau.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in white blood cells called lymphocytes, according to the Mayo Clinic. If a Reed-Sternberg cell is detected then the the lymphoma is classified as Hodgkin’s.
If the Reed-Sternberg cell is not present, the lymphoma is classified as non-Hodgkin’s.
Non-Hodgkins is a different story, and thankfully the budding star doesn’t have to deal with that. For now, Moreau is going to step aside and focus on his health and beating cancer. He has youth, and the odds on his side. The odds are already long to even become a professional athlete, so overcoming cancer should be something Foster Moreau can handle.
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