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Ellen DeGeneres got Eric Berry to surprise James Conner

By John Buhler

Sep 5, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back James Conner (24) rushes the ball against the Youngstown State Penguins during the first half at Heinz Field. The Panthers won 45-37. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 5, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back James Conner (24) rushes the ball against the Youngstown State Penguins during the first half at Heinz Field. The Panthers won 45-37. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ellen DeGeneres surprises guest running back James Conner with his hero Eric Berry, as both have battled the same kind of cancer.

Thursday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, DeGeneres had Pittsburgh Panthers star running back James Conner appear on the show. Conner had high hopes of entering the 2016 NFL Draft as one of the most talented tailbacks in the Power 5.

Unfortunately back in November, Conner was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and has had to undergo chemotherapy in the months since. Conner continues to fight his cancer with great optimism and is an inspiration to both his Pittsburgh teammates and Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi.

Conner will participate in practice often wearing a precautionary cloth mask the day after a chemotherapy session. He draws inspiration form Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro safety Eric Berry, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2014. Naturally, DeGeneres was able to orchestrate a meeting between the football players on her Thursday show.

Before Berry surprised Conner on stage, the Pittsburgh running back did say that Berry had reached out to him just after his November diagnosis. Berry offered words of encouragement on the phone, but the two football stars had not met face-to-face before until Thursday’s show. It was a great moment to see Conner and Berry come together on live television.

Berry bounced back in 2015, making it to the Pro Bowl and being named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year. Conner continues to fight his cancer and will supposedly have his last chemotherapy session on May 9th. If all goes well, Conner will again suit up for Pittsburgh in the 2016 NCAA season.

Berry’s best bit of advice for Conner about battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was “never limit yourself…Anything you’re going through, you’re really battling yourself. It’s never about the chemo, it’s never about the cancer, it’s all about what you’re willing to put in to overcome whatever the obstacle is.”

With mind over matter, perhaps Conner will shine on the gridiron in his return to football in 2016 like Berry did in 2015 after his bout with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

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