John Metchie's leukemia diagnosis unfair for Alabama football star, Houston Texans rookie | Goodbread

This wasn't supposed to happen to John Metchie III.

It wasn't supposed to happen to Eric Berry, either.

Or James Conner.

Or Trent Williams.

Or Shon Coleman.

Of course, the list of prominent football players struck by one form of cancer or another in some of the prime years of their athletic lives is longer. Metchie lengthened it by one on Sunday when the former Alabama wide receiver announced he's been diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL). The second-round draft pick of the Houston Texans will likely miss his rookie season this fall while fighting this scourge of a disease.

TIDE VS. SPARTANS: Alabama basketball to play Michigan State in Phil Knight Invitational

SABAN'S 15: Celebrate Nick Saban's 15 epic seasons at Alabama football with our special book!

That these men play football or are athletes of any kind is, of course, immaterial to the gravity of a life-and-death health struggle. Their lives are no more important than anyone else in the same situation. Cancer killed 602,350 Americans in 2020, the nation's second-leading killer that year behind heart disease according to the CDC, and every one of those outcomes is equally cold.

Just ask the survivors.

Still, athletes like Metchie who suddenly find themselves in a cancer battle serve as a stark reminder that cancer can be an indiscriminate threat. It preys where it preys. We wrongly attach an air of physical invincibility to elite athletes that cancer isn't supposed to be able to penetrate. The ACL tear Metchie suffered in the SEC Championship Game last December was viewed at the time as a grave misfortune for both his season and his draft status.

Now, it's an afterthought.

But while cancer can afflict anyone at any time, there's a reason that public reaction to Metchie and other top athletes who've faced his struggle is always one of shock. The average age of a cancer patient is 66. Metchie is too old for pediatric cancer, and too young for a colonoscopy. Studies show that regular exercise, healthy eating and not smoking – three baseline givens for serious athletes – could prevent up to 40% of cancer deaths. Metchie takes care of his body a lot better than you and I.

But there isn't a body anywhere in such good shape that cancer can't find it.

So for Metchie, we're left to try and find blessings hiding in what is objectively terrible news. Here's one: he's likely a lot more financially secure now, having signed a four-year, $8.07 million contract as the NFL draft's No. 44 overall pick, than he'd be had the diagnosis come from his medical exam at the NFL Scouting Combine. Every potential health issue is carefully explored there, and a discovery of leukemia at the combine likely would've hurt his draft status a lot more than his knee injury could've.

Here's another: Alabama coach Nick Saban pointed out the city of Houston's stellar reputation for medical care.

Metchie himself, in making his diagnosis known, noted that he'll be battling the most curable form of leukemia.

No, this wasn't supposed to happen to a vibrant youngster who is athletic enough to compete in professional sports. But now that cancer has beaten the odds against that, Metchie can only grasp whatever positives he can, and beat some odds of his own.

Reach Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: John Metchie: Leukemia fight not fair for Houston Texans rookie WR