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Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry feared to have lymphoma
There was some shocking news from the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday: star safety Eric Berry will miss the rest of the season with what the team fears is lymphoma.
Berry had discomfort in his chest after last week's game against the Oakland Raiders, and a mass was found on an MRI, ESPN.com's Adam Teischer reported from the news conference of Chiefs athletic trainer Rick Burkholder. There is no definite diagnosis, Teischer reported, but Burkholder said the "leading consideration" is that Berry has lymphoma, a form of cancer.
Berry will see a specialist in Atlanta, KCChiefs.com writer B.J. Kissel said, to determine what the mass is.
He was placed on the non-football illness list and is out for the rest of the season. Berry released a statement through the team's site:
“I am truly thankful for all of the support from family, friends, coaches, teammates and the entire Chiefs kingdom. At first I was in shock with the diagnosis on Saturday and did not even want to miss a game, but I understand that right now I have to concentrate on a new opponent. I have great confidence in the doctors and the plan they are going to put in place for me to win this fight. I believe that I am in God’s hands and I have great peace in that. I know my coaches and teammates will hold things down here the rest of the season and until I am back running out of the tunnel at Arrowhead. I am so thankful and appreciative of being a part of this franchise and playing in front of the best fans in the NFL. I will be back!”
Berry was the fifth overall pick of the 2010 draft and has developed into one of the league's best strong safeties in the game. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro last season. He'll turn 26 on Dec. 29.
Berry addressed the team on Monday, and according to Kansas City Star beat writer Terez Paylor, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Berry was "upbeat and very positive."
"Right now he needs to be a beast," Reid said, via Paylor. "He'll attack this."
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
