FORMER RAIDERS TE FOSTER MOREAU DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, WILL STEP AWAY FROM FOOTBALL
Former Las Vegas Raiders and current free agent tight end Foster Moreau will be stepping away from football after he was diagnosed with cancer this week, Moreau announced on Wednesday.
Moreau, 25, revealed through a series of tweets that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer that starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes. “Through somewhat of a miraculous process, this free agency period has been life changing for me,” said Moreau. “During a routine physical conducted by the Saints’ medical team down in New Orleans, I’ve come to learn that I have Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and will be stepping away from football at this time to fight a new opponent: cancer.”
“I’m grateful for the support and thankful for people who have stood firm with me,” he went on. “There hasn’t been a single step I’ve taken without hundreds of people lighting the path before me, and I will continue to seek their guidance. That being said, I’ll go kick this thing’s ass and get back to doing what I love! ADMG!”
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system and usually starts in B lymphocytes which make antibodies that help protect the body from bacteria and viruses. Also called Hodgkin’s disease, lymphoma tends to cause swelling in lymph nodes, mostly in the upper part of the body and spreads throughout the lymph vessels, from lymph node to lymph node.
The former LSU tight end will now start undergoing treatment, usually in the form of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year “relative survival rate for all patients diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is now about 89%.” As with all types of cancer, however, the stage, type, and location of infection, a person’s age and general health play a factor in determining those rates.
Fans, players, media personalities, and everyone in pro football were empathetic with Moreau as thousands of people shared their support for him online. One fan said, “Kudos to the medical team for being so top of it! God bless Foster Moreau. Prayers are coming your way in overload mode! If God brought you to it, he’ll bring you through it. Stay strong brother.”
“I don’t know you. I don’t have to,” said future LSU quarterback Colin Hurley. “We have common bonds… You have cancer. I have family with cancer… You’ve already won this fight. You’re a survivor, not a victim. Love.”
Moreau was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft and was diagnosed while with the New Orleans Saints this week. According to ESPN, the diagnosis was done with the help of Saints’ longtime team physician, Dr. John Amoss, who also discovered that former Philadelphia Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos had an aortic aneurysm in 2017.
Moreau, a New Orleans native, was taken by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round, 137th overall pick and went on to play all four years of his rookie contract with Las Vegas. Standing 6-foot-4, he registered a total of 91 receptions for 1,107 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns during that four-year spell and is coming off a career-high 33 catches for 420 yards in 2022. He became a free agent on March 15th.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.