ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Following successful surgery for testicular cancer on Friday, inside linebacker Alex Singleton credited his family, the Broncos organization and his doctors for their support as he recovers from the procedure.
“I think cancer’s a scary word,” Singleton said Monday. “It still is. It still freaks me out, even just saying it. Just to know that attacking it with a positive mindset is the best way to do it. My teammates, this organization, my family have been just so great and will continue to be.”
Singleton was diagnosed on Monday, Nov. 3, following random NFL drug testing that flagged indicators, prompting further evaluation through a series of medical tests. The veteran linebacker played in Denver’s Week 9 win over the Texans without knowing the cause of elevated levels of hCG, and he then prepared for the Broncos’ Week 10 “Thursday Night Football” matchup with the Raiders while aware of the cancer diagnosis.
“It was an interesting week of emotions for me,” Singleton said. “I found out about the drug test the Wednesday before Houston. There was a lot weighing on me going into even that game, knowing that I wasn’t taking hCG, this protein that my body had in it. I was almost as scared going into that game, because at that time it was just my wife [Sam] and my agent [Paul Sheehy] who had known about this. On Monday, when I finally got these results, it was not freeing for me but … for me, just with anything in life, I would rather know a game plan and know the steps moving forward to be able to attack that than anything else.”
Immediately after receiving the diagnosis, Singleton didn’t want the news to “change my life yet” and declared he was set on playing in the prime-time divisional matchup.
“When we found out Monday, the first thing I said was, ‘I still want to play Thursday,'” Singleton said. “Football’s always been an outlet for me and always will be. … The short week honestly made it better. Tuesday, Wednesday, I got to fully immerse myself in football and … get this off my mind as much as I could. We weren’t going to know anything until after the surgery anyways and still don’t 100 percent know everything. The biggest thing for me was how to get my mind off of it. Football was the best thing to do that. Obviously, playing Thursday night here in our throwbacks and all that stuff, it makes it easy — or [possible] to block out everything that was going on in my mind.”
Following the game — in which he played all 60 defensive snaps — Singleton underwent surgery on Friday. He said a pre-surgery CT scan revealed the cancer had not spread to other places in his body, and he’ll now await the pathology report to plan the next steps for his recovery.
“It’s been a whirlwind, I would say,” Singleton said. “I don’t necessarily even know if I’ve fully coped with everything that’s gone on.”
Singleton, in a statement, credited Dr. Andrew Zilavy and Dr. Geoff Ledgerwood, as well as the Broncos’ medical team. He also credited Owner & CEO Greg Penner, Owner Carrie Walton Penner, General Manager George Paton, Head Coach Sean Payton, Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph and many others for their quick and steadfast support.
“They’ve been nothing but positive,” Singleton said. “… They have [done] nothing but [go] above and beyond. I knew how special this place was with my knee [surgery and recovery] and everything like that, but what they’ve done this past week has been remarkable and truly incredible.”
Singleton shared the news with the team on Monday morning, and he said the “support and love means so much from them.” As Singleton recovers, he also said he “100 percent want[s] to, as I learn more, be a voice for this” to encourage others to undergo preventative screening.
“A team captain and our 2024 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee, Alex is known for his leadership and dedication to making a positive impact in the community,” the Broncos said in a statement. “Those qualities will continue to define Alex as he shares his story to highlight the importance of early detection and regular screening.
“Our No. 1 priority is Alex’s health and well-being, and we are grateful it appears the cancer was caught early. Alex and his family have our unwavering support as we look forward to welcoming him back on the field soon.”
The veteran player said while he won’t play against the Chiefs in Week 11, he hopes to recover “pretty quickly from this surgery and then get up and running here pretty soon.”
As he works his way back, his teammates — and the entire organization — are poised to offer any needed support.
“Obviously, it’s some pretty big news for him to tell us,” inside linebacker Justin Strnad said. “With him sharing everything, we’re all just here to support him, be there for him and continue to fight with him.”