Chiefs GM: Eric Berry's battle with cancer going well
 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...cer-going-well

Eric Berry's battle with Hodgkin lymphoma is going well, according to Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey.


"Well, anybody who knows Eric Berry knows that if there's a challenge presented to him, he will attack it with a vengeance," Dorsey told Sirius XM NFL Radio on Tuesday. "And he will do that. Everything that I have gotten back has been very positive. I have not spoken with him on the phone for probably six weeks, but I have texts. We communicated through texts. He's in good spirits, he's fine, he's driving, and he's going to conquer it."

Dorsey added that Berry is able to drive again, per host Alex Marvez.

The 26-year-old was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in December and while it's a treatable disease, his promising NFL career has been put on the back burner.

The general manager didn't give any football update on the safety, but that isn't a surprise. Berry's battle lies off the field and he has the clear support of the Chiefs franchise, which did not cut him this offseason just to save a couple of dollars.

Keep kicking ass, Eric!

love to see Eric cancer free (most important) and back in Chiefs red for 2016!

This part really makes me happy. It's not all dollars and cents, and that's OK.

I was embarrassed by the posters on this board that were advocating cutting him or demanding he take a pay cut. I'm glad John Dorsey seems to be a "good guy" as opposed to that cock sucker Pioli.

:clap:

Yeah - they should totally donate another $5 million to a guy they've given $50 million by the time he's 25. That's all it is - a straight up charity payment to a multimillionaire.

He's not ****ing poor. Oh, and he's insured.

Jesus, take the $5 million you save on Berry's salary and give it to the Children's Miracle Network to actually spend on kids that could use it for all I care. It fixes our cap and isn't a completely unnecessary handout.

The chickenshit PR move is to keep paying him. Every single bit of logic and reason says you cut him to veterans minimum and stick him on the NFI list.

That's just lazy writing.

You don't think they garner more in player goodwill than they could save on the cap?

You sure this move had NOTHING to do with Hali?

Are you picturing a rash of cancer stricken players taking advantage of this 'loophole?'

There's nothing wrong with good PR. And the season hasn't started yet, they have plenty of time to put him on the NFI if they want.

I understand that clearing the cap space is a good football move, but if they want to use the money to honor a contract given to an good young man that fell into a shitty situation while reaping the benefits of very positive PR, then so be it.

Good relations with your fan base and the players on your team are also good football moves.

you don't cut a ****ing guy or try and cut his salary when he's diagnosed with ****ing cancer

I don't care if he's made a billion dollars in his career

total Pioli move

No more than you can say it had anything to do with Hali.

And no, I don't believe it did. You're telling me that Hali re-signed for $2 million less because we paid Berry his $5 million? So Hali said "ah hell, Eric's a good dude, I'll just subsidize $2 million of his $5 million via paycut"?

No way - I don't buy that for a minute.

I think every time players say "it isn't about the money, it's about respect" we mercilessly mock them for it and with good cause. Respect and money aren't anywhere near the same thing. The Chiefs could absolutely have shown Berry a great deal of respect and supported him through this without just flushing money.

To mock athletes that equate money with giving a shit about them and then turn around and applaud the Chiefs for using money as a proxy for giving a shit about Berry is completely inconsistent.

They can provide EB with all the support in the world - fan nights, rallies, set up a charitable foundation - all kinds of stuff that would show a TON about how they feel about Eric Berry and do so without simply paying him another $5 million they don't owe him.

Ah, but if he can't turn the lights on in his house because of concussions, **** him - move along. If he's some rookie who blew out his knee, won't ever play again and now doesn't have a career to fall back on - **** him too; somebody else can figure out how to feed him for the next 60 years of his life - sorry you didn't play long enough to get your pension, rook. Next man up!

The NFL is FULL of cold, calculating decisions, many of which are a hell of a lot more cold-blooded than telling a very very wealthy young man that he's not getting game checks for games he's definitely not going to play.

You can absolutely support him without just dumping salary cap into a hole.

"Maybe we could have a bake sale, raise some money for the cancers," Belechick said. "We could do a car wash."

Too bad Peterson didn't support SlyMo like this... :shake:

What is wrong with you?

I'm thinking a knee injury is a poor comparison.

How many NFL players have ever been diagnosed with cancer while still active in the league before?

It's not like the Chiefs had a whole lot of history to know EXACTLY how to handle this from a business perspective.

However, I do like how they handled it ... because cutting a guy or not paying a guy because he WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER while being a MODEL PLAYER FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION HIS ENTIRE CAREER is a SCOTT PIOLI move.

They should extend his contract with a 5.5m SB and a big roster bonus for 2016...otherwise that money should be used to further bolster the roster.

5.5m is a really good starter...or $ that should go to Houston.

That is great news! I spoke with a man battling the same thing when I was awaiting my CT scan, which revealed blood clots and landed me in the hospital. The man was older than me, maybe 60ish, and truth be told, he didn't look so good, but his spirits were high so that was good to see. I wish Eric all the best and if he can return to the field one day, it will be a joyous event for the entire franchise and fan base.

Anyway, he's got the most treatable thing there is, so he could be back next year.

I don't care what they do to his contract as long as Eric Berry agrees to it ... but that idea seems like a pretty good idea, Boss.

Yeah....I think he has the best option. You get the cap space....but you're also showing him (and the NFL) that you want/expect him to come back and play football as a Chief.

IMO it's irresponsible to have his 2015 salary hit the books 100% this year, we are trying to get over the hump. This is an extremely important year for this team and we need to be at absolute full strength.

Hopefully.

I don't know what kind of treatments he's getting other than chemo, but it's a real kick in the ass. Especially if he's getting radiation.

It helps him greatly that he's a 26 yr old athlete.

I'd rather go 0-16 than do what DJ suggested.

That's silly.

Eric has made more than any safety in the history of this league because he was drafted in the last year of the old CBA. I wouldn't cut Eric, but I would offer him an extension and if he balks I'd NFI him.

It's not like that's hanging the guy out to dry.

It's a tough decision, but business is business sometimes

I don't ****ing care how much Eric Berry has made in his NFL career.

Not one bit.

YOU DON'T CUT A GUY THAT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER AND SAY, "WELL HE'S MADE A LOT."

At least we know what kind of GM BossGlazer would be. Hopefully no one drops any candy wrappers in the hallways.

Still can't read?

A shame

I would not say this year, because he'll need to train and get back in playing shape, but I would fully expect him to beat it and come back to the NFL.

when EB comes back to be an all-pro safety in 2016 I'm sure he'll appreciate the fact we DIDN'T CUT HIM FOR BEING DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER

Yeah I would say next season 2016-2017 he will be back.

They put him on NFI in December. If he's not able to play this year, NFI is not a bad idea.

LMAO

Prayers from Texas!

Going thru chemo and radiation, man it takes a toll. I'd honestly be surprised if he comes back to the nfl, but modern medicine

And hopefully Ed, you will be in the stands cheering him on and you too will be cancer free!!! You keep keepin' on, my man.

I don't think that people on CP understand how chemo and radiation can destroy your body. The radiation can cause "brittle bones", the chemo can cause nausea, tiredness, hair loss, low cell count, infertility, lung damage, heart disease and more.

If the reports were correct of a "softball sized" tumor, he'll need at least two rounds of chemo if not four. As a fan, I'm more concerned about his short and long term health than if he can return to football.

Translation,

RIP Eric.....

This is the second time you've made this stupid joke about him dying.
Posted via Mobile Device

I think the NFL should step in and take Berries pay off the books.

You know, you've got every right to speak your mind. That being said I have every right to tell you how stupid I think it makes you look.

It's almost like you're selling your soul for a facebook like.

It's basically poison to kill your cancer, but kills essentially everytHing.

That's not happening.

Colts? Yes.
Donko Bitch****s? Probably.
Seachickens? Yes.
Cheatriots? Yes.
Giants? Yes.
Steelers? Yes.

Chiefs? Get ****ing lost you banner-flying dumb****s.

You ****ing jackass. :shake:

Berries? LOL

Berries is plural for more than one Berry.

I believe you meant Berry's.

What happened with Sean Taylor's contract situation..?

No shit. What a one who sucks the penis smfh

That's what the NFI list is for.

I don't know. Care to fill me in? He was shot in a home invasion, right?

This is how you would treat someone that has done so much for the team? Remind me never to work for you. Not that there would be a chance in hell anyway.

It's a business.

Why do you think Aflac exists?

If you're a truck driver and you get cataracts that blind you, making you completely incapable of driving a truck, just how many employers do you think are going to just pay you to sit at home? If you're a line worker and you end up getting paralyzed as a result of meningitis; how many companies are going to just keep sending you your paychecks more than a year later?

Pretty much none.

This isn't just an illness thing as it would be for you and I. This is an illness that makes you completely incapable of doing your job in any capacity. You can't compare this to you or I getting cancer - rather you have to have analogs similar to the ones above. If you're working in an environment with scarce resources (here it's cap, in the above analogs consider a break even profit margin), these are the decisions a business has to make.

There's an entire industry dedicated to paying people who come down with illness/injury that makes them incapable of doing their job on a long-term basis and you think I'm the one that's unreasonable?

You're welcome to let raw emotion cloud your judgment. You're right - you wouldn't be working for me.

It isn't raw emotion. It is the realization that a human LIFE is more important than a ****ing game to anyone that isn't a sociopath.

but cancer

Sure, sport. Not emotion.

Please, use more rhetoric. If you could nail yourself to a cross here then I'd really see where you're coming from.

Jesus, it's like I'm reading someone's 'Oscar moment' here.

Yes - it's raw emotion.

A lot of bad things happen every day using the excuse "it's a business". It's a BILLION DOLLAR business that can afford to pay a guy that has given the team so much.

Dude, you have no compassion, no empathy for anyone judging by your posts over the years. A little emotion would do you good. And a better attitude.

The Chiefs have dealt with this admirably. I just hope EB can have a normal healthy life, really don't care if he ever plays football again. That's pretty low on the list right now.

And I have no recollection of you at all....ever.

So I'm okay here.

im not sure either

I like how the Chiefs have handled it but clearly DJ has a point. That being said, I've lost my ability to debate this subject. Just don't care.

Berry is going nowhere. He's not being cut that's crazy. I'm not sure he'll ever play again but I'm just glad he's doing well.

Maybe they should have worked out some kind of thing like I have at work

short term disability = free 100% pay for the duration

long term disability = free 60% pay for the duration, or pay a bit out of my check every month to get 80% pay for the duration

The Eagles had a situation like this with a player while Abdy Reid was there and they NFId him and paid him half.

And alot of businesses fail because they let emotion cloud judgement.

It's a bottom line business.

That's quite a fair move in my view. The dude isn't left out there to rot and the organization isn't paying full price for a worker that isn't working.

Exactly.

When my wife was diagnosed with cancer and missed months of work, her employer didn't continue to pay her for not working. We had to file a claim with Hartford (which was a big pain in the ass because the office manager of the oncologist kept "forgetting" to file the paperwork properly) who covered her salary during the absence.

I'm sure that all Chiefs fans feel for Eric Berry, his diagnosis, treatment and recovery. But the Chiefs organization shouldn't be responsible for a non-football illness and lose valuable Salary Cap space because of his condition because it makes them less competitive to do so.

Regardless of the business, it's not good business for the Chiefs to take a $5 million dollar cap hit because of Berry's situation.

It makes them less competitive to pay a man who can't play.

Work out a deal with the sanction of the NFLPA and the 31 other teams where Berry receives the money he's guaranteed by his current contract but be exempted from the salary cap as long as Berry isn't capable of playing football.

Sean Taylor was murdered and the Skins got no cap relief.

The 31 other teams won't sign off on such a deal.

Not that it would happen, but the FO can claim the NFL is being hypocritical in doing the annual Pink fest for cancer but won't actually do anything for a player with cancer...

Then consider it a $5mill PR move and act of good faith.

It's ok to sometimes not treat people like a piece of property.

I understand that it's a business. But if a business wants to be charitable, then im fine with that too.

IMO, it would be dumb for the Chiefs to eat $5 million in valuable cap space as a PR move because it weakens the team. $5 million nearly covers the rookie draft pool and would definitely account for a starter.

There are other ways that the Clarks can take care of Berry without sacrificing cap room.

And furthermore, I just have to say, why do you people even care? The man has health insurance and most likely has disability insurance, plus, he's earned more than $50 million dollars in his career. He's a charity case?

I'd like for one person to name why the Chiefs should sacrifice $5 million+ in cap space, other than "It's the right thing to do", which it really isn't.

This.

as I mentioned earlier....
...because cancer

cancer strikes a special place in peoples' hearts that other diseases dont

i'll simply never have an issue with a billion dollar business taking care of someone, rather than treating them like a disposable piece of property, no matter how they want to do it.

To me, it's a non issue. Im not going to ridicule a front office for putting people before business once every blue moon.