Sports
Former South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia changes his approach on mental health amid cancer battle
Former South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia is currently battling for his life after being diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer.
The diagnosis came after noticing certain abnormalities, but the hard-nosed former athlete thought he could figure out the issues on his own without a visit to the doctors. His wife wasn’t comfortable with that plan from the quarterback, who used to take snaps for a Steve Spurrier-led offense led offense in Columbia.
Reluctantly, Garcia went in for a colonoscopy where doctors discovered the cancer, and that it had been growing for a number of years.
Unfortunately, Stephen wasn’t fully grasping the news when first given, due to him still being somewhat groggy from sedation.
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Stephen Garcia of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks to pass against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., on Sept. 10, 2011. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
But, when it was finally explained to him how serious this situation was, reality set in pretty quickly.
Obviously, there’s nothing simple about hearing the word ‘cancer,’ no matter which stage or form you are dealing with. It will humble you quickly, with the grim outlook overtaking the mind.
And while this process to fight the disease will be tough, filled with many obstacles, Garcia was most worried about his family.
While his older son understands the magnitude, he has yet to fully inform his youngest daughter, which led to the former Gamecock shedding a few tears while discussing the situation with OutKick on Friday morning.
Former Gamecock has changed his tune amid battle with cancer
In the past, Stephen Garcia was not one to jump aboard the mental health awareness train, looking at it as someone who was not strong enough to handle the circumstances surrounding whatever battle they were facing.
But, that’s the football side of Garcia, and he was the first to admit that his mindset had changed because of the stigma surrounding people, most importantly men, not feeling comfortable enough to discuss their struggles.
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This problem has led to many downfalls, or problems that arise by not talking to others about what they are going through in the moments of trials and tribulations.
For Stephen, that has all changed.
“In years past, I thought mental health was an absolute joke, just to be completely frank with you,” Garcia told OutKick. “I was like, if you gotta have some mental toughness, I played for Coach Spurrier so I had to have some mental toughness to deal with him. But, I was also extremely hard headed. It is huge. There’s gonna be days when you’re not gonna walk to talk with anybody, days you wanna give up, you gotta stay mentally tough. This whole process has opened my eyes to a whole different deal.
“People can change. I was against the whole mental health thing, I thought it was stupid. But, it’s changed my opinion, my outlook on life in general, and I encourage everyone to speak it up. I’ve had so many people reach out to say if you need to talk, reach out to me. Everyone said the same thing that you have to be mentally in it. If you are positive mentally, you’re going to get through it. If you’re feeling down in the dumps, figure out a way to get positive. It’s no joke, you are where your minds at.”
South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia throws a pass against Kentucky in the third quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 3, 2009. South Carolina defeated Kentucky 28-26. (Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports)
Outreach has been overwhelming, with a long battle ahead
After going through his first round of chemotherapy this week, Garcia is coming to terms with the battle he faces, though he’s keeping a positive outlook for the sake of himself and his family. He will continue training athletes, when his body allows, and using his platform to encourage others to take their health seriously.
If it weren’t for his wife pushing him into getting examined, who knows how long this could’ve gone before his cancer was noticed. In the meantime, the support system has been overwhelming, as Garcia described while choking back tears.
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Stephen Garcia of the South Carolina Gamecocks drops back to pass against the East Carolina Pirates at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 3, 2011. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Whether it’s the Clemson football team, or Dabo Swinney himself, and the thousands of people who have reached out over the past few days, it’s not lost on the former quarterback how much the support has meant for his own sanity during uncertain times.
For now, Stephen Garcia is taking his battle with cancer one day at a time. But, he’s also got college football fans rooting for him to beat this terrible disease.
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Kansas star Darryn Peterson is set to likely be a top-five pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, but there was a time a few months ago he did not think that day would come.
Peterson missed 11 games this season and had his time cut short in several others due to a series of cramping issues, but the worst one came before the season even started.
Peterson told ESPN recently that in September, he was taken to a hospital from a practice with severe cramping throughout his entire body.
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Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson controls the ball against St. John’s Red Storm guard Oziyah Sellers in the second half of a second-round men’s NCAA Tournament game at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California, on March 22, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“I made it to the training room and just started begging them to call 911. They were trying to get a vein to get me the IV, get me back hydrated. But I was cramping so hard they couldn’t get a vein,” Peterson said.
“I thought I was going to die on the training table that day.”
After months of searching for answers, Peterson said that high doses of creatine resulted in the cramping.
Creatine, used to increase muscle size, is perhaps the most studied supplement on the market and has numerous benefits. But for Peterson, it prompted a scary situation.
“I’d never taken it before [going to college]. But after the season I took two weeks off and they did tests which showed my baseline level was already high. So, they said when I dosed, it must’ve made the levels unsafe,” he said.
Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson drives with the ball against Iowa State Cyclones forward Dominykas Pleta during the second half of the Big 12 basketball game on Feb. 14, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. (Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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“It kind of put me in a tizzy because I didn’t know what was causing it. Nothing has ever been wrong with me before. Basketball is my life. What I love to do. But something was going on and I couldn’t figure it out.”
Peterson no longer takes creatine and has not had any issues since. He even played at least 30 minutes in eight of Kansas’ last nine games this past season.
Peterson’s lack of play, of course, drew criticism, but he did all he could to play.
“They saw I was in rehab every day before practice, after practice. Get massages. Trying all types of stuff. Carb loading because they thought I didn’t have glucose or something. Electrolytes. Liquid IV, LMNT. I changed my diet. I meal-prepped. Everything I could think of,” he said.
Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson jogs back after making a three-pointer against Houston Cougars inside Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. (Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Head coach Bill Self even decided that playing off-ball would keep him from overexerting himself, which could potentially lead to more cramping.
Peterson averaged 20.2 points per game and is widely expected to be one of the first names off the board next month.
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John Cena is set to appear at his second consecutive WWE premium live event when he takes on Backlash on Saturday night in Tampa, Florida.
Cena’s in-ring career came to an end in December when he lost to Gunther on Saturday Night’s Main Event. He was announced as the host for WrestleMania 42 and appeared in Las Vegas to announce the attendance, welcome Bianca Belair for her pregnancy revelation and had a segment with Danhausen, The Miz and Kit Wilson.
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Danhausen and John Cena celebrate during WrestleMania 42: Night 2 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
In the lead up to Backlash, Cena has teased a “major announcement” and did so again on Thursday.
“In just a few days, I have a major announcement inside this building that’s going to shock the very foundation of WWE, from its fans to its superstars, its champions down to its rookies,” he said in a video posted to his X account. “I am so grateful Tampa is allowing me to make this announcement.”
It’s unclear what Cena’s WWE Universe-shattering announcement will be about. The company has teased new feature for fans called Club WWE in the last few months.
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Cody Rhodes and CM Punk present John Cena with the Undisputed WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship during Saturday Night’s Main Event at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 13, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
WWE announced the launch of Club WWE in April. A gold membership would give fans the ability to have exclusive 24-hour ticket presale access, a members-only WWE Shop, bonus WWE content, a community forum, rewards system and a welcome back for founding members.
“Our fans are the heartbeat of WWE, and everything we do begins with them,” Cena said in an April press release. “Club WWE is about bringing that connection to life in a bigger way – through exclusive access, unique experiences and a true sense of community. It’s a premium destination built to reward passion and give our most dedicated fans a meaningful way to engage with WWE all year round.”
John Cena looks on during Saturday Night’s Main Event at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 13, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE)
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Backlash will take place at Benchmark International Arena at 6 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN programming.
Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first against Bangladesh in the opening Test of the two-match series at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Friday.
Two youngsters, Abdullah Fazal and Azan Awais, are making their Test debut for Pakistan, while star batter Babar Azam has been left out due to an injury to his left knee.
The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27, with the second Test scheduled to be played at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet from May 16 to 20.
Pakistan occupy the fifth place after winning one and losing one of their two Tests. They have secured 12 points with a 50% win rate.
On the other hand, Bangladesh are currently eighth in the WTC standings, having earned one draw and suffered one defeat in their two matches so far.
The last Test series between Pakistan and Bangladesh was played in August 2024, when Bangladesh claimed a historic 2-0 victory which was also their first-ever away Test series win against the Green Shirts.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais, Abdullah Fazal, Shan Masood(c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Noman Ali, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas.
Bangladesh: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Ebadot Hossain.
This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.
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Former South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia changes his approach on mental health amid cancer battle
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