FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (WHDH) — A high school football coach battling cancer was on the sidelines to watch his team at Gillette Stadium days after receiving a message of encouragment from Tom Brady.
Blackstone Valley Regional Tech assistant coach Derek Yancik is undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer. His players, knowing he is a huge Patriots fan, reached out to the Patriots quarterback. While he could not meet Yancik because he is with the Patriots in Buffalo, Brady sent a video message of support. The video was a surprise to Yancik.
“It was really awesome,” said Yancik. “It’s a wonderful thing. The kids, they do wonderful things when you leave them to their own devices, don’t they?”
While Blackstone Valley Regional Rech came one touchdown short in their championship game, Yancik was there to take in the whole game and offer his own message to the team.
“Go BVT. Love you guys and you mean the world to me,” Yancik told his players.
Yancik and the team are also sending Brady’s message of support back to him as he and the Patriots prepare to face the Buffalo Bills.
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