Minnesota Vikings defensive end Kenechi Udeze is making a remarkable comeback. After missing the entire 2008 season while battling leukemia, he is back on the practice field with the Vikings. Kenechi was a first round Draft pick of the Vikings in 2004 and in three of his first four seasons, he played in all 16 games. Last season leukemia knocked him down but not out.
Kenechi had a bone marrow transplant last July and admits the road back has been a difficult one:
“I’d be lying if I said it was easy. There was never an easy point. The first time …read more

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Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed was a dominant force on the Ravens defense throughout the entire 2008 season. He put together a remarkable season by any standard. What’s even more incredible is that he did it while suffering from a nerve impingement in his neck. Overcoming this adversity earned Ed the admiration of his teammates, and their vote for the Ed Block Courage Award.
Ed is just one of many incredible stories of courage in this year’s class. Minnesota Vikings defensive end Kenechi Udeze was diagnosed with leukemia after the 2007 season. Kenechi received a bone …read more

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Check out this great interview with Minnesota Vikings defensive end Kenechi Udeze about his battle with leukemia. Kenechi will undergo a bone marrow transplant this week. His brother Thomas Barnes will be the donor. Kenechi is on injured reserve with the Vikes, but he vows to play football again, calling his disease “temporary.” His attitude is obviously where it needs to be and he looks great in the interview. Keep Kenechi in your prayers this week.
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Photo Courtesy Minnesota Vikings
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It’s official. The Kansas City Chiefs have traded All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen to the Minnesota Vikings for three picks in this weekend’s NFL Draft. The Vikings give up their first-round pick (17th overall) plus both of their third-round picks (73rd and 82nd overall). Initially, the Chiefs wanted Minnesota’s first and second-round spots, but the Vikings had enough Draft picks (nine) to negotiate with. Considering their second-round pick non-negotiable, they decided to abandon their two third-round picks instead and the Chiefs jumped at the opportunity. KC now has 13 total …read more

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Good news out of Minnesota today. Vikings DE Kenechi Udeze announced a pair of remarkable developments in his three-month fight against leukemia. The disease is in remission (he just found out two days ago that his blood and bone marrow were cancer-free) and he found a bone marrow donor (his older brother) for a yet-to-be-scheduled transplant.
Word is that he didn’t believe the diagnosis at first, but he quickly rooted himself in the power of positive thinking and continued to rely on his Christian faith and the support of friends, family and …read more

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The Minnesota Vikings have been very active early in this free agency signing period, adding three projected starters in the first two days.

The Vikings found a replacement for free agent All-Pro FB Tony Richardson by signing Thomas Tapeh from Philadelphia. Thomas is a native of Minnesota and was a running back for the Golden Gophers in college at the University of Minnesota. I think T2 is a great pickup, but I feel it’s a mistake to let Tony Richardson go. He was a big reason the Vikes had the best running game …read more

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I was saddened to hear that Minnesota Vikings DE Kenechi Udeze has a form of leukemia. A person with the team, who remained anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the situation, confirmed this yesterday. The Vikings declined to comment, but they issued a short statement from head coach Brad Childress that didn’t specifically address Udeze’s condition:
“We respect the privacy of Kenechi. The thoughts and prayers of the entire Minnesota Vikings organization are with Kenechi and his family.”
Kenechi’s college coach at USC, Pete Carroll, also issued a statement, saying:
“Kenechi’s got a big battle …read more