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— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 26, 2024
New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener was seen wearing a bandage on the right side of his face at Friday’s media availability after training camp practice, which he disclosed was due to treatment for a form of skin cancer.
Haener said it was rare skin cancer for his age group which developed as a “bump” on his cheek just before training camp began. He ultimately had it removed and biopsied. He will learn more from doctors on Aug. 1 and will form a treatment plan from then on out.
It is considered to be non-life threatening, which is a relief, and up to now has not prevented Haener from practicing in any capacity. However, it does need to be taken care of, and he is currently waiting to see how long he can go before it ultimately needs to be treated, as he will need to get another procedure done on his face.
Haener said that his family, the Saints training staff, and people in the building have been great about supporting him, and he is focused on what he needs to do “here” at training camp. He’s in good spirits despite the scary situation. As of right now, information regarding what type of cancer it is will remain confidential until Haener is ready to discuss it.
“I feel like I’m pretty young and healthy to be able to have something like that pop up,” Haener told local media on Friday. “But I want to take care of it, and I want to be responsible about it, and obviously not make it a distraction because I’m gonna be fine, everything’s gonna be taken care of. But like I said, I don’t wanna wait too long for something like this, and I wanna get it handled.”
The Saints experienced a similar situation last summer when tight end Foster Moreau signed with them after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which he was able to have treated early on. That quick action helped him recover rapidly and not miss a beat in his first season with his hometown team. Here’s hoping for good news for Haener, too.
