Texans’ John Metchie battles back from leukemia, providing inspiration along the way

Ben Arthur

AFC South Reporter

Chris Malleo’s favorite moment with John Metchie III has nothing to do with football.

The Houston Texans wide receiver was in his post-graduate year at The Peddie School, a private boarding school in Hightstown, New Jersey, readying to leave early for the University of Alabama. Metchie went to Malleo’s house to say goodbye.

The two had built a tight relationship as player and head coach. Living nearly 500 miles away from his home in Brampton, Ontario, Metchie had stayed with Malleo a number of times. He had grown close with the coach’s family.

But Malleo’s wife was at work when Metchie came over. She was disappointed she didn’t see him before he headed out.

Malleo happened to be texting with Metchie after he left.

“My wife is upset that she didn’t get a chance to say goodbye,” he wrote.

Upon seeing that text, Metchie borrowed a bike and rode back across the Peddie campus to Malleo’s house.

“That’s just the kind of kid that he was,” Malleo told FOX Sports.

It’s the same person Malleo saw as the 23-year-old receiver faced a recent health scare.

Metchie, who went on to star at Alabama, is finally set to make his NFL debut in the Texans’ home opener Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium (1 p.m. ET, FOX). With veteran Noah Brown placed on injured reserve this week, the 6-foot, 195-pound Metchie figures to be in the mix with rookies Tank Dell and Xavier Hutchinson as wide-receiver depth for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. 

The second-year wideout missed Week 1 with a hamstring injury, delaying a long-anticipated debut just a little bit longer. During the offseason before his rookie year, Metchie had headaches and cold-like symptoms for a week or two. He got checked out and in July 2022 was hit with a shocking diagnosis: acute promyelocytic leukemia. Impacting 600 to 800 people in the United States every year, APL can lead to excessive bleeding and blood clot formation, according to the National Organization for Rare…

Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/texans-john-metchie-battles-back-from-leukemia-providing-inspiration-along-the-way

Author :

Publish date : 2023-09-17 15:32:24

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.