James Conner’s story is one of the most inspirational you will ever hear in sports, as the star running back was diagnosed with cancer just three short years ago and is now one of the best players in the NFL. Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald is not surprised by that, and he can now officially give Conner an “I told you so.”
After he was named to his first Pro Bowl on Tuesday, Conner shared a text message on social media that Donald sent him three years ago after he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Donald, who was teammates with Conner at the University of Pittsburgh, said he couldn’t wait to look back on the diagnosis after Conner became a Pro Bowler.
Conner probably received countless messages like that one, but Donald’s obviously stuck with the running back if he thought to share it three years later.
Conner’s emergence this season has allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to not skip a beat without Le’Veon Bell, and you could use some stats to argue they have been even better than they were with Bell. The fact that their new running back beat cancer to become a Pro Bowler is something that probably doesn’t get enough attention.
