A Starting Player for the Houston Texans Is Facing Blood Cancer

HOUSTON TEXANS FREE SAFETY Andre Hal has received a diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma, his team announced in early June.

Team physician James Muntz diagnosed the blood cancer, and Hal then consulted with oncologists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. At the time of the announcement, the 26-year-old had not settled on a treatment, according to published reports.

“My faith in God and the support from my family, friends, teammates and coaches will see me through this difficult time,” Hal said in a statement. “I will not let this diagnosis stop me from fulfilling my dreams, and I do not want anyone to feel sorry for me. I know how to beat this, and I will beat it.”

Hal has been a starter for most of the past three seasons, during which he intercepted nine passes and made 155 tackles, according to USA Today. He was a seventhround pick out of Vanderbilt University in 2014.