Berry helps raise money and cancer awareness in Knoxville

When he roamed Tennessee's defensive backfield — making bone-jarring hits and game-changing plays — former UT safety Eric Berry brought unimaginable amounts of joy to those in the East Tennessee.

Berry has continued to do so with his work off the field, within in the Kansas City community and here in Knoxville. Those efforts only escalated after Berry was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2014, becoming the biggest and most public battle of his life.

Berry's battle to not only get cancer free but return to the football field is well documented. He returned to the Chiefs' starting lineup just seventh months after his diagnosis and played at an All-Pro level, posting career highs in interception and touchdown numbers.

His struggle is something that has influenced him both in his professional and personal life, giving him a cause to fight for that's near and dear to him.

He was back in the area Wednesday, visiting with patients at UT Medical Center and speaking at the sixth-annual Tailgate Against Cancer fundraising event, to shed some light on a subject he is far too familiar with.

“It's the Volunteer State, you know, and the school that I went to,” Berry told Volquest.com. “The fans and the support I've had over the years has meant so much, but for me to actually be able to come back here and give it back, I see why they support.

“It's cool to have an impact on someone's success or maybe today someone was able to say to themselves, 'Hey, maybe I can fight a little more. Maybe I can push on a little bit more. Maybe I can try and little bit harder.' Hopefully, hopefully I gave them a little more hope. I see what it's like to be a supporter. I've been on both ends of it now.”

Tailgate Against Cancer is a nonprofit created six years ago in honor of Stephen Coleman, a Maryville native and Tennessee fan. Coleman lost a three-year battle with cancer, and shortly after his family created the organization to bring awareness and raise money to fight cancer.

“I thought it was great,” Steve Coleman, Stephen Coleman's father, said. “We got a lot of friends and people who have played in the golf tournament for the, well, sixth year. I thought we might have a good turn out but it was bigger for me than I thought it would be. Of course, bringing someone like Eric Berry in helps a lot. It shows us that we have support and it's growing every year.

“It was my son's idea to have something like this and we started looked for someone and immediately thought of Eric because of what he went through, and that it would be great if he could come and talk about his battle. He even went over to UT today to talk to the doctors and nurses. We had great support and are very thankful for Eric for coming to help.”

Berry was more than willing to come help a cause he felt was doing something positive in the area.

“My agent, Chad Speck, they had some history between some friendships and they linked up,” Berry said. “They said it was a good cause and they wanted to get me involved. So I said, 'Yeah, let's do it.' I was especially drawn to the passion and the purpose behind it. The fact that they are investing and trying to raise funds for the actual legacy of learning about cancer and how to treat it.

They are investing in the (medical) students. They aren't just raising money to raise money just because it's cute. A lot of people do that, but they're actually trying to get to the root, get the knowledge out there and help people learn about the disease. I think that's really cool.”

He was particularly drawn to the Coleman family. With their fundraisers and annual golf tournament, the Tailgate Against Cancer organization, headed by the family, has raised just under $200,000 and hopes to reach their goal of $500,000 in three years.

“To go through that whole situation, the family has to be very strong,” Berry said. “I don't know how close they were before that but I can tell they are very, very close now. Just seeing how they've come together for an amazing cause is great. I can feel the love just talking to them and us hugging. I spent most of the day with them. I love them. They are truly passionate about this.

“I've heard that over the years that it's been growing and growing and growing and I hope that it continues to build. I hope that they accomplish everything want to accomplish.”