Webb Walker said he woke up one morning with a lump on his chest, which he figured would go away on its own. After waiting two weeks, the lump remained. A biopsy revealed he had lymphoma, though doctors told him it was “very treatable.”

During a physically and emotionally difficult time, Webb Walker said he wanted his teammates to know they have been offering him a sense of comfort and peace.

“Just being here helped me with the whole process and really just deal with it,” he said, as chronicled in a video of his speech that was posted to social media. “I just want to say thank you boys because y’all made it easier on me, even though it’s tough. I never thought this would happen to me, but it’s just the Lord’s way and his plan. I appreciate y’all keeping me up and having me smiling when I’m in here.”

He is in his first season with the program after transferring over from New Mexico State.

Webb Walker said he didn’t want to publicize his condition so he wouldn’t risk being a distraction to his team, a notion that coach Deion Sanders quickly shot down.

“First of all, you’re never a distraction. You’re a blessing,” Sanders said. “You allow us to understand what life really is. We play this childish game we call football that we can make millions of dollars on and we give people satisfaction. We give them ups and downs and any kind of emotion, but what you’re doing with is real. The way you’ve dealt with it has been admirable. We love you. We appreciate it. We’re here for you.”

As he undergoes chemotherapy, Webb Walker will be in and out of the team’s facility. But even when the player is not around his teammates and coaches, Sanders wanted to make sure he knows they all are standing with him.

“Understand that we love you,” Sanders said. “There’s always a place for you here.”