Eric Berry will play in Atlanta for 1st time since cancer treatment

Two years ago, Eric Berry was in his hometown of Atlanta undergoing chemotherapy to treat his Hodgkin’s lymphoma. On Sunday, now cancer-free and almost two years to the day after he was diagnosed, Berry took the field in his hometown for the first time in his NFL career in a Chiefs’ 29-28 win over the Falcons.

Berry had a tremendous game too. It started with a pick-six in the second quarter. He gave the ball to his mom. His biggest play came in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons had just taken the lead, 28-27, and were going for a two-point conversion. Berry intercepted Matt Ryan and returned it 100 yards to give the Chiefs two points instead (a pick two?). That play stood as the game-winner too.

Speaking to the Atlanta media on Wednesday, Berry didn’t have much to say about his homecoming but said his family will be in attendance, and he was looking forward to it.

“I’m always excited to come home,” Berry said.

Berry, a former standout at the University of Tennessee, played four seasons before his diagnosis in December 2014. After nine months of treatment, he was declared cancer-free and cleared to play in time for the 2015 season. Berry not only played a full season in 2015, he also made his fourth career Pro Bowl and won the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

On Sunday, Berry not only played his first NFL game in his hometown of Atlanta, but he was also wearing a special set of cleats to raise awareness for Hodgkin’s lymphoma as part of the NFL’s initiative to allow for custom cleats in Week 13.

The Instagram post from Berry’s agent provides some insight into why Sunday’s matchup in Atlanta will be especially significant. The standout defensive back discussed his hopes of inspiring others over at the Chiefs’ official team website.

“Hopefully, through the way I play the game and the way I perform, people that are battling something or feel like they can’t do it, hopefully they look at me and say, ‘You know what? I can get up today,’ or ‘I will go to this treatment,’ or ‘I will give my best today.’”