identikit
Footballguy
Former Eagles WR Curtis battling cancer
By Cody Benjamin
Published: October 7, 2010
Throughout the offseason, we managed to keep tabs on some of the notable players that the Eagles chose not to re-sign or release towards the beginning of the free agency period; of course, it would have been unnecessary and uninteresting to release articles about every single name that was removed from the roster, but it's always fun to know of the whereabouts of former Philly stars like Brian Westbrook and Shawn Andrews, two players that found new homes for 2010. One guy that didn't receive a lot of attention or public interest from teams around the league was Kevin Curtis, who began last season as a starting wide receiver for the Eagles and experienced a memorable first campaign with the team in '07, when he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. Though he was rumored as a potential target of the Bears in the summer, he was never mentioned in contract talks and many believed that his recent knee injuries were keeping clubs wary…until now. Apparently, Curtis had been keeping a more important issue under wraps and the veteran has been, and is still, battling cancer.
Though it isn't clear when Curtis (pictured) developed his disease, which has officially been classified as testicular cancer, the seven-year pro indicated that an abnormality was spotted by a doctor on the Vikings' staff when he underwent a physical examination for Minnesota prior to signing with the Eagles as a free agent. Despite the early sign, Curtis admitted that he waited to undergo medical tests and wasn't worried about his situation. Things changed dramatically as his career progressed, however, and, according to the wide receiver himself, he finally decided to receive treatment last month, after it was determined that he had an illness called seminoma; in addition, it was ruled that there was a good chance that Curtis had developed cancer, and so an inguinal orchiectomy was performed on the 32-year-old, an operation that involves the removal of a cancerous testicle.
Obviously Curtis' current health status doesn't have an affect on Philadelphia, as the team decided to release him early in the offseason and revamp the receiving corps with youth, but it'd simply be disrespectful to ignore the former Eagle's situation. Head coach Andy Reid called Curtis "one of the classiest players I have ever been around" and the type of person that he would "build our team with" after the announcement was made that the wideout had been cut, and there's no doubting that the speedy Curtis was one of the offense's most dangerous weapons when healthy. Regarded as one of the fastest players in the NFL before dealing with a sports hernia injury and recurring knee problems, he had a tremendous first season with the team and probably would have totaled about 800 or so yards if he was active for all of the games the following year.
Thankfully, Curtis appears to be all right after undergoing surgery to help in his battle with cancer. "Everything looks good," he said. "They caught it early, and there is no sign that it has spread. I'm pretty fortunate, really." The wide receiver is still looking to continue his career as a football player, and it's been confirmed that his agent has planned to inform all 32 teams in the league of his client's illness and intentions to return to the field within the near future. Curtis made it clear that there was interest in his services throughout the offseason, and at least three teams (including the rival Redskins and Miami Dolphins) got in contact with him almost immediately after his departure from the Eagles. He also revealed that the Saints and Vikings were among a crop of teams that made inquiries during minicamps, and that he hopes to latch onto a needy organization shortly. Regardless of where Curtismight wind up, we here at Bleed Green wish him the best of luck, both in his cancer recovery and as a player.
http://www.bleed-green.com/blog/?p=7456
By Cody Benjamin
Published: October 7, 2010
Throughout the offseason, we managed to keep tabs on some of the notable players that the Eagles chose not to re-sign or release towards the beginning of the free agency period; of course, it would have been unnecessary and uninteresting to release articles about every single name that was removed from the roster, but it's always fun to know of the whereabouts of former Philly stars like Brian Westbrook and Shawn Andrews, two players that found new homes for 2010. One guy that didn't receive a lot of attention or public interest from teams around the league was Kevin Curtis, who began last season as a starting wide receiver for the Eagles and experienced a memorable first campaign with the team in '07, when he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. Though he was rumored as a potential target of the Bears in the summer, he was never mentioned in contract talks and many believed that his recent knee injuries were keeping clubs wary…until now. Apparently, Curtis had been keeping a more important issue under wraps and the veteran has been, and is still, battling cancer.
Though it isn't clear when Curtis (pictured) developed his disease, which has officially been classified as testicular cancer, the seven-year pro indicated that an abnormality was spotted by a doctor on the Vikings' staff when he underwent a physical examination for Minnesota prior to signing with the Eagles as a free agent. Despite the early sign, Curtis admitted that he waited to undergo medical tests and wasn't worried about his situation. Things changed dramatically as his career progressed, however, and, according to the wide receiver himself, he finally decided to receive treatment last month, after it was determined that he had an illness called seminoma; in addition, it was ruled that there was a good chance that Curtis had developed cancer, and so an inguinal orchiectomy was performed on the 32-year-old, an operation that involves the removal of a cancerous testicle.
Obviously Curtis' current health status doesn't have an affect on Philadelphia, as the team decided to release him early in the offseason and revamp the receiving corps with youth, but it'd simply be disrespectful to ignore the former Eagle's situation. Head coach Andy Reid called Curtis "one of the classiest players I have ever been around" and the type of person that he would "build our team with" after the announcement was made that the wideout had been cut, and there's no doubting that the speedy Curtis was one of the offense's most dangerous weapons when healthy. Regarded as one of the fastest players in the NFL before dealing with a sports hernia injury and recurring knee problems, he had a tremendous first season with the team and probably would have totaled about 800 or so yards if he was active for all of the games the following year.
Thankfully, Curtis appears to be all right after undergoing surgery to help in his battle with cancer. "Everything looks good," he said. "They caught it early, and there is no sign that it has spread. I'm pretty fortunate, really." The wide receiver is still looking to continue his career as a football player, and it's been confirmed that his agent has planned to inform all 32 teams in the league of his client's illness and intentions to return to the field within the near future. Curtis made it clear that there was interest in his services throughout the offseason, and at least three teams (including the rival Redskins and Miami Dolphins) got in contact with him almost immediately after his departure from the Eagles. He also revealed that the Saints and Vikings were among a crop of teams that made inquiries during minicamps, and that he hopes to latch onto a needy organization shortly. Regardless of where Curtismight wind up, we here at Bleed Green wish him the best of luck, both in his cancer recovery and as a player.
http://www.bleed-green.com/blog/?p=7456
Last edited by a moderator:
But I admit I smiled 
T&P to Curtis--
Seriously though, this is just a reminder for all us middle aged men to get physicals regularly. Its just plain ignorant and dangerous to do otherwise. Everyone knows someone who's suffered from cancer. Don't be that guy.
