John Metchie III, who was picked by the Houston Texans in the second round of the draft, said on Sunday that he has a type of leukemia. Now that this news is out, it’s likely that his rookie season will be over before it even starts.
Metchie’s comments were put out in a statement by the team. Metchie was recently told that she has APL, the most treatable form of leukemia (Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia). “I’m feeling great now that I’m getting great medical care, and I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to get better soon. I won’t be able to play in any football games this season because of this diagnosis. My main goal will be to keep my health and get it back. I want to thank you ahead of time for your help and wish you the best. This time, I hope the comeback will be stronger. God be praised!”
Metchie, who is now 22 years old and went to college at Alabama, was a star as an undergrad. He caught passes for 2,081 yards and 14 touchdowns. After the team won the SEC Championship in 2021, he had surgery to fix a torn ACL. He hoped to be ready for training camp with the Texans.
In recent years, a few well-known NFL players have fought back from cancer and come back to the game. Some of the names are James Conner of the Arizona Cardinals, Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers, and Eric Berry of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Metchie was one of the four players the Texans picked in the first 50 picks of the NFL Draft in 2022.