By CNN
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Foster Moreau, an NFL free agent and former Las Vegas Raiders tight end, has announced he will step away from football having been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.
The 25-year-old Moreau said the diagnosis came during a routine physical with the New Orleans Saints.
“Through somewhat of a miraculous process, this free agency period has been life changing for me,” he wrote on Twitter.
“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. 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.”
Moreau added that he is ready to “kick this thing’s a** and get back to doing what I love.”
Lymphoma is a form of cancer affecting the lymphatic system, a part of the immune system that fights disease and infection.
The two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin, which spreads in an orderly manner through lymph nodes, and non-Hodgkin, which spreads in a non-orderly fashion.
Moreau was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Raiders out of Louisiana State University.
He had a career-best year last season, finishing with 33 catches and 420 yards.
