Former Tennessee Volunteers and current Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry has Hodgkin lymphoma, his doctor confirmed Monday. Doctors in Atlanta diagnosed the all-pro safety, confirming the team’s fears that Berry had cancer.

“This is a diagnosis that is very treatable and potentially curable with standard chemotherapy approaches,” Dr. Christopher Flowers, a lymphoma specialist at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, said in a statement released through the Chiefs. “The goal of Mr. Berry’s treatment is to cure his lymphoma and we are beginning that treatment now.”

Berry, 25, also released a statement through the Chiefs.

“My family and I are very grateful for the amount of support we have received over the last couple of weeks. I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate all the words of encouragement, the blessings and well wishes,” the statement read. “I want to thank the Emory University School of Medicine, along with Dr. Flowers and his team, for all of their hard work and effort in diagnosing and creating a plan for me to battle this thing.

“I will embrace this process and attack it the same way I do everything else in life. God has more than prepared me for it. For everyone sharing similar struggles, I’m praying for you and keep fighting!”

The Kansas City Chiefs placed former Tennessee safety Eric Berry was placed on the non-football illness two weeks ago. Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder announced, via Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star, that doctors found a mass in the right side of his chest after complaining of pains following the Chiefs’ game against the Oakland Raiders.

Berry started in all three seasons at Tennessee and was a consensus All-American in 2008 and 2009. The Fairburn, Ga., native was the 2008 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the 2009 Jim Thorpe Award winner. Berry still holds the record for SEC career interception return yards (494).

Berry is also the older brother of Tennessee freshmen Evan and Elliott Berry.