49ers assistant, former Texas A&M LB announces cancer has returned
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
San Francisco 49ers linebackers coach Johnny Holland announced on Monday that the multiple myeloma he had battled for several years has returned.
As a result, Holland, who has been with the organization since 2017, stated that he would take a medical leave of absence to undergo treatment.
“In September of 2019, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and have gone through several rounds of remission and relapse,” Holland said in a statement released by the 49ers. “Unfortunately, the cancer has returned and, beginning on September 6, I will take some time away from the team to receive treatment. In sharing the details of my diagnosis, my desire is that I can be an advocate and beacon of hope for those who are battling cancer to help remind them that we’re all in this together.”
A former linebacker at Texas A&M in the 1980s, Holland left as the program’s all-time leading tackler, setting a record that has since been broken. He was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.
IGYB Coach ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PyE0NVZEBr
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 30, 2021
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
