When he was in college, Josh Paschals His football career suffered a major setback – he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in his left foot.
“Of course it will blow your mind when you hear it for the first time. I would be lying if I said it was easy in the beginning,” he said now Detroit Lions linebacker said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
But he returned and played his way into a second-round pick in 2022, which he believes is fate.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Detroit Lions defensive end Josh Paschal (93) rushes during the NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Minneapolis, MN. (Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“It’s just great to be with such great leadership. Our front office, our head coach, it’s the best team I’ve ever been on… It’s an incredible experience. This is the closest group I’ve had since I’ve been playing football.” “This group, this team just loves each other, but they just embrace this city and the culture of overcoming obstacles and adversity,” Paschal said.
This last sentence fits Paschal perfectly – as he phrased his cancer diagnosis: “It’s honestly the worst thing that can happen to you in your life.”
But his head coach Dan Campbell puts everything into perspective.
“Coach Campbell says that all the time, he says everyone in this room is here for a reason. “And I think the reason I’m here is because I’ve experienced adversity firsthand. It’s honestly the worst thing that can happen in life and I’m grateful that the Lord guided me. “It helped me get through this whole situation,” Paschal said. “But I feel like everyone in this room, everyone in our team room when we have team meetings, whether it’s coaches or their players, has been through adversity, they know how to cope with it, and they have a high character.”
Detroit Lions defensive end Josh Paschal (93) runs onto the field during player introductions before the start of an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on January 7, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
‘DANGER!’ PARTICIPANTS TURNED UP BY THE FINAL CLUDE THAT DESTROYED THE JETS’ SUPER BOWL THINK
Earlier this year, Paschal represented the Jimmy V Foundation as part of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign. He got to know the foundation better last year and wanted to be part of the team.
“It’s something my brother brought to my attention. I did a little research on it and then saw his famous quote “Never give up” in his ESPY speech. This and that motivated and moved me extremely. “That made me want to work with them,” said Paschal.
After feeling sad about his football fate following the diagnosis, he said his family, friends and faith “stopped me from doing it”.
“And that was the opportunity for me to apply Jimmy V’s mantra: ‘Never give up.’ That just allowed me to keep fighting because I feel like that attitude carries over to everything in life, but it “It’s also directly related to when you’re fighting cancer.”
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Josh Paschal (93) during a preseason NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on August 25, 2023 in Charlotte, NC (John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Now it could be less than two months before Paschal gives the Lions their first game Super Bowl.
“I just feel better, just keep getting better. You want to play your best football into January. So every week we will continue to grow and continue to perform. Both teams are playing great – we’ll allow that.” We took far too many points in the last game, so we have to get back on our feet. But for a team like us, it’s just a matter of how we get back on our feet.
Follow Fox News Digital Sports coverage of Xand subscribe the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
