Crimson Tide fans react to Metchie’s leukemia diagnosis

By WVUA 23 News Reporter Giselle Hood

Former University of Alabama football player John Metchie announced he has been diagnosed with Leukemia on Sunday, and it’s a somber day for football fans across the country.

Metchie was a star receiver at Alabama before being drafted by the Houston Texans.

“It’s very sad to see him go through something like that,” Stillman College student Takeria Bailey said. “He was a good player, he came out on top, and he was always positive and had a positive mind. We’re going to be praying that everything goes right for him.”

The Texans rookie announced his acute promyelocutic leukemia (APL) diagnosis via Twitter and immediately received love and support from his fans.

Metchie also shared that he will likely be out for the season, and that recovering is his main focus.

“You know his first year, he’s going through rookie progressions and everything, and I hated to hear that for him,” University of Alabama student JD Johnson said. “I really enjoyed watching him play the past few years.”

Some fans were able to relate more personally to Metchie’s struggles.

“[My] mom died from cancer and to know that feeling, to know what his family is going through, is pretty tough,” Houston resident Patrick Hall said.

According to medlineplus.gov, APL is a cancer of the blood-forming tissues that “leads to a shortage of normal white and red blood cells and platelets in the body.” It’s most often diagnosed around the age of 40 and occurs in approximately 1 in 250,000 people in the United States.

“For the University of Alabama and the Houston Texans, I think this is a chance for them to come together, become one, and be there for Metchie.”

The WVUA 23 news family sends our thoughts and prayers to Metchie as he battles leukemia.