The Houston Texans are welcoming safety Andre Hal back to the practice field following his successful fight against Hodkin’s lymphoma.
Head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters Wednesday that the team had activated the 21-day window for Hal to return to the active roster, and that he can now begin practicing.
"They were excited." – O'Brien on when he gave team news about Hal this morning. #Texans
— Deepi Sidhu (@DeepSlant) October 17, 2018
The Texans announced back in June that Hal had been diagnosed with Hodkin’s lymphoma. Then, in late September, the good news came that his cancer was in remission.
“Today’s one of those days that is bigger than football,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said at the time. “[Andre] Hal, his Hodgkin’s lymphoma is in remission. Dre’s a very special guy to us here, he’s a very special guy to me. He’s been here from the start.
“He’s been a leader for us. He’s just been an unbelievable guy in this organization. Dre never wavered in his belief that he would beat it. And he has.”
Hal, 26, has been with Houston since he was drafted in the seventh round out of Vanderbilt in 2014. He signed a three-year contract in August 2017 and started in all 16 games for Houston last season, racking up 71 tackles and three interceptions.