Linebacker Herzlich Plans Return
Eagles’ linebacker Mark Herzlich, the 2008 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, learned this spring that he might never play football again after being diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Now, Herzlich’s future could look a little brighter.
The prognosis for Herzlich’s football career looked to be crashing to a halt initially, as doctors told Herzlich that he would never be able to play football again. Herzlich, who was a finalist for the Butkus Award that goes to the nation’s best linebacker, saw his NFL dreams potentially go up in flames.
However, doctors are encouraged by the early results of his response to the chemotherapy and radiation treatments, as an MRI recently revealed that there was only a small tumor remaining in his left femur and no tumor in the surrounding soft tissue.
Herzlich finishes his radiation therapy this week, yet still has five more rounds of chemotherapy to go. Doctors must wait and see how the left leg responds to radiation before discussing his football future, however; Herzlich has maintained his weight during treatments and continues to lift weights and stay in shape.
“Things are going really well,” Herzlich said Wednesday. “The goal right now is to get rid of the tumor completely and to be healthy. That’s the goal right now and they’re encouraged that’s what’s going to happen.”
