BY STEVEN SILBERMAN
Today marks an incredible milestone in what is one of the
most fascinating football stories of this decade.
Kansas City Chiefs SS Eric Berry will likely see his first
game action in since being diagnosed with cancer in tonight’s pre-season opener
against the Cardinals.
Berry, who was a 2-time all-American at the University of
Tennessee, is one of the NFL’s premier defensive backs. In 2010, he signed a
6-year, $60 million contract, making him the highest paid SS in NFL history.
Proving he is worth the money, the 26-year-old has already made the Pro Bowl on
3 occasions.
On November 20th 2014, Berry complained of chest pain after
a game against the Raiders. After tests were conducted, doctors diagnosed him
with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Medical professionals were confident that Berry would
persevere to become cancer-ridden of the disease, which has a survival rate of
85%.
Berry has overcome tough situations before in his career; he
tore his ACL in 2011, and then came back in 2012 to make the Pro Bowl. This battle with cancer simply does not
compare.
Berry said sometimes he “would have trouble falling asleep,
not knowing if [he] would wake up.” He came to terms with the fact that death
was a possibility.
After working to conquer the disease through many chemotherapy
sessions, Berry was declared cancer-free, while being cleared to resume
football activities.
We have seen great NFLers fight through unbelievable
obstacles to resume their careers in recent years. Back in February 2005, the
Teddy Bruschi had a life-threatening stroke - if the clot from his heart
reached his brain, it may have caused irreversible damage. Miraculously, he not
only got back into football shape, but led the Patriots in tackles in the 2006
and 2007 seasons.
Even more recently in 2012, Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano
was diagnosed with cancer and had to leave the field at the beginning of the
season. Despite coming off a dismal 2-14 season, as well as key players like
Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton being rookies, the team responded by going 11-5 and
clinching a wild-card berth. Now Pagano has the Colts as the front-runner to
take the AFC South division crown once again.
When things like this happen to players and coaches,
teammates and staff often become very inspired, pushing the organization to new
heights. I think the return of Berry, along with the addition of Jeremy Maclin
on the other side of the ball, will propel the Chiefs to win their division for
the first time since 2010.
The world is certainly watching Berry and I can’t wait to
see how he responds.
