North Carolina wide receiver Tylee Craft was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Craft announced in a statement Wednesday. The exact nature of the cancer was not revealed, but Craft said it was diagnosed after seeing a doctor for persistent back pain.
“I’ve recently been struggling with back pain and it made it very difficult to get through the day, much less play football,” Craft wrote via his personal Twitter account. “It got to the point where we wanted to find out if something else was going on.
After a visit to the hospital, we found out that I have a rare form of cancer. As a result, I’ll be stepping away from football to focus on this battle, and we’ve already started chemotherapy, but I plan on getting back on the field as soon as possible.
“My family and I are in good spirits and we’re getting all the support we could ever ask for from the football program, the athletic department and the medical professionals here at UNC. This part of my journey is just beginning and I’m ready to attack it head on. We appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers.”
