James Conner, a cancer survivor after a battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma, decides to play for the Steelers in 2020
James Conner
Photo: Bleacher Report
… Chiefs lose right guard after M.D. opts out
When James Conner was a junior at the University of Pittsburgh in 2015, he was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph glands. He had already lost the season because of a torn ACL and surgery for that, but this was a stage beyond that.
Last year, he said on a podcast that doctors said that he was fortunate that it was discovered when it was, or he could have been in trouble,
"My heart, I got tumors growing all around it," Conner said during a podcast hosted by Michael Seander, who performs as a hip-hop artist named Mike Stud.
Then when he spoke with a doctor about the diagnosis, Conner told Seander, "He said you got about a week — if you didn’t get this treated, you had about a week, at the rate it was growing."
Charlotte Carroll, “James Conner says doctors gave him ‘About a week’ to live
at time of cancer diagnosis,” Sports Illustrated, July 16, 2019
Conner is not one to be denied
After consultations with physicians, Conner and his family decided to go with a chemotherapy regimen, and for six months, he took treatment while also working to rehab his knee.
In May, 2016, he was declared cancer-free, and this May, he declared on Twitter that he was four years cancer-free.
Because of that success, he made a key decision in his life this week.
Will play in 2020
On Tuesday, Conner announced that despite being a cancer survivor, he was confident that he could safely play football this fall despite the Covid-19 rampage that continues to ravage parts of the country,
On Tuesday, a flurry of NFL players announced that they would be opting out of the 2020 NFL season due to concerns about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Several of these players are considered "high-risk" due to underlying conditions -- such as New England Patriots right tackle Marcus Cannon -- who is a cancer survivor. Not all high-risk players will be opting out this season, however, as the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday afternoon that Pittsburgh Steelers running back and cancer survivor James Conner would be suiting up in 2020, and is in phenomenal shape.
The former Pittsburgh star was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in college, but has now spent the last four years cancer-free. Conner is entering a contract year, and previously expressed that he wasn't too worried about contracting the coronavirus.
"It honestly, truly doesn't (concern me)," Conner said on The Adam Schefter Podcast. "I'm going on four years now. Just talking with my doctor, he said you got nothing to worry about as far as your immune system. I'm far removed form that, my body is healed. I have no concerns with that. I'm keeping distant and doing all that."
Jordan Dajani, “Steelers' James Conner, a cancer survivor, will
not opt out this season, per report,” ESPN, July 28, 2020
What is “high-risk”?
Conner was described in the ESPN report as being “high-risk,” but they do not define that. Does just having cancer and chemotherapy put you at a high risk?
I am a cancer survivor, and my cancer has been gone for eight years. I did not have chemo, just had radiation instead because it is what was most effective for prostate cancer. I also denied having surgery because the radiation was effective.
But, honestly, I never even worried about Covid from that perspective. Yes, I wear a mask, keep social distancing, and follow the other guidelines. I looked at the symptoms that I should be aware of, and other than having a cough for a while that lasted a short time, I have not had a temperature or problems breathing or any of the other symptoms.
So, should a cancer survivor be worried about Covid?
The reality is that the answer is “yes,” but it should be on an individual case. And whether or not they are “high-risk” is debatable since the experts refer individuals back to their doctors,
“Once survivors recover from treatment, they may not be as immunocompromised as a patients actively undergoing cancer treatment,” said Dr. Smitha Pabbathi, director of the Survivorship Clinic at Moffitt Cancer Center. “Cancer survivors don’t appear to be at increased risk of being infected with COVID-19.”
Sara Bondell, “Are cancer survivors at high risk for Covid-19,” Moffit.org, May 13, 2020
The CDC says that survivors are high-risk, but gives nothing to support that, which is not surprising because of their woeful operation during this pandemic.
They simply say consult your doctor, which is what James Conner obviously did.
However, he has some concerns about his job because he had an injury-riddle 2019 after an outstanding 2018 season.
In a contract year
Players must balance their health concerns with their future careers, and that is what Conner has been doing,
While Conner broke out in a big way thanks to Le'Veon Bell's holdout in 2018, he appeared to take a step backwards in 2019. In 10 games, he rushed for just 464 yards and four touchdowns while averaging a career-low 4.0 yards per carry. Conner had to battle multiple injuries as the Steelers overall suffered through a tough season, but there are other reasons Conner should watch his back this upcoming year. Head coach Mike Tomlin has been beefing up his running back room, as other younger players such as Jaylen Samuels and Benny Snell Jr. are continuing to compete for touches. The Steelers even went out and drafted former Maryland star Anthony McFarland Jr. and signed veteran Wendell Smallwood this week.
Despite all of this competition in what is arguably one of the most loaded backfields in the NFL, Conner says that he's not concerned about his future, and wants to remain in Pittsburgh.
"It will be hard to put another helmet on, just because of everything and what this city means to me," Conner said. "This city I played my college ball in, had my life saved, the city I got drafted to -- and I want to be able to say it's the city I brought a championship to. I'm Pittsburgh through and through. I'm going to end up doing what I'm doing and end up where I'm supposed to be at. We'll take it one day at a time and stay in the moment."
Jordan Dajani, “Steelers’ James Conner, a cancer survivor, will not
opt out this season, per report,” ESPN, July 28, 2020
Chiefs lose their starting guard who opts out for 2020
ESPN listed those players who have decided not to play in 2020 because of the Covid dangers. These include a starting guard for the Super Bowl winners, the Kansas City Chiefs, but he has a good reason. First, why would a person with a medical degree want to play football in the first place?
That is because he is a physician and has a future in that field, and he has been working with Covid patients throughout this process in Canada, which has handled this pandemic much better than the U.S.,
Duvernay-Tardif, 29, was the first NFL player to publicly say he won't suit up this season. Duvernay-Tardif has been the Chiefs' starting right guard for the past five seasons and played every offensive snap in their Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers. He is a medical school graduate from McGill University in Canada and had been assisting as an orderly in a long-term care facility in the Montreal area during the coronavirus pandemic. "I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love," he wrote on social media. "If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients."
“Players option out of the 2020 NFL season because of coronavirus
concerns: Tracking the full list,” ESPN, July 27, 2020
Some of the players have opted out because of individual or family concerns,
Warmack, 28, was expected to compete with third-round pick Damien Lewis and others for the starting job at right guard. He signed a veteran-minimum deal with Seattle in March after sitting out the 2019 season to get healthy. According to a source, Warmack had a family member die of COVID-19 and other family members hospitalized because of the disease. He went back and forth on whether to play this season before making his decision.
Cannon plans to opt out of the 2020 season, a source confirmed to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Monday night. Cannon, 32, is set to receive the $350,000 higher-risk amount as a cancer survivor, a source told Fowler. Cannon overcame non-Hodgkin lymphoma after he was drafted in 2011. The news about Cannon was first reported by 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Kyle Peko, DT, Denver Broncos
Peko, who played in seven games for the Broncos in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, was again signed by the Broncos off the Colts practice squad last December and then signed for 2020 earlier this year. His wife, Giuliana, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma last year and Peko was briefly excused from Bills training camp last summer to be with her. He announced last season that her treatments had been successful and she was cancer-free, but her battle with cancer would put her in the at-risk demographic for COVID-19.
“Players option out of the 2020 NFL season because of coronavirus
concerns: Tracking the full list,” ESPN, July 27, 2020
Conclusion
Perhaps the season will end with a Super Bowl, and perhaps not. We will see.
However, James Conner will make an effort to secure a new contract with a good season. That is a personal decision on his part, and we should respect it.
Others are more concerned about their individual health or that of their families.
Their choices should be respected in a difficult time for a difficult choice.
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