John Metchie III made his long-awaited debut for the Houston Texans on Sunday after the receiver was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia last year.
A second-round pick in 2022 out of Alabama, where he twice won the Jon Cornish Award as the NCAA's top Canadian, Metchie missed all of last season while he battled the disease and then missed last week's season-opener with a hamstring injury.
Fellow rookie C.J. Stroud found Metchie up the middle on the final play of the game, a 17-yard gain for Metchie's first career reception.
The game was out of reach for the Texans at that point, but it was still a huge milestone for the Brampton, Ont., product who overcame long odds to see the field again.
Metchie was disappointed with the loss but knows that his return means a lot to many people who followed his fight.
"(It) was not to be satisfied with just coming back, but strive to be the best in coming back,'' he said. "And that was kind of my mindset that got me through that period of time. Not just wanting to ... make it out. I wanted to thrive, not just survive.''
—With files from the Associated Press
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