Turner has -- and has had -- a much bigger fight on his hands than Vanderbilt’s next opponent.
On their official website Friday, Vandy revealed that tight end Turner Cockrell has been battling cancer since last November after the sophomore noticed two lumps on his neck the month before. Diagnosed with melanoma after a biopsy was performed, Cockrell underwent surgery in December that removed cancerous lymph nodes that had developed from his ear to his collarbone.
Unfortunately, a full-body scan in July revealed that the cancer had spread to Cockrell’s lungs. As a result, Cockrell and his family headed back to the University of Texas’ MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to “undergo a procedure with hopes of staving off more cancerous cells.”
From the school’s post on Cockrell’s fight for his life:
Prior to the resumption of treatment, Cockrell sat in the head coach’s suite this past Saturday and watched his teammates claim a season-opening win over Middle Tennessee State. After the game, Cockrell was presented the game ball during the postgame locker room celebration.
“That’s the thing about a locker room: it’s a special place,” head coach Derek Mason said. “A lot of people don’t get the opportunity to understand what a locker room is. It’s a brotherhood. It’s a group of young men who have a common purpose, who try to win on the field and off the field. What our players do really is a precursor to life, in how you fight and move forward. Now Turner’s in a fight, but we’re in the fight, too.”