EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants defensive line coach Andre Patterson battled this season through prostate cancer, the veteran assistant told ESPN.
Patterson was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and several players said they found out back in the spring. He remained with the team while he underwent treatment.
The longtime assistant told ESPN he was feeling better and his outlook was positive. Patterson said he was open to making his illness public because he wanted to promote prostate cancer awareness and the need for early detection.
"Make sure you get checked," he said.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic's website. It is usually detected early, and often grows slowly. Most people with prostate cancer are cured, according to the Mayo Clinic's website.
Patterson, 65, is in the midst of his 21st season as a defensive line coach in the NFL. He has most recently been with the Minnesota Vikings and Giants. He came to New York along with former head coach Brian Daboll in 2022.
Patterson had a separate medical issue three years ago that forced him to spend several days in the Intensive Care Unit. He coached from a scooter for several months when he returned to the team.
He declined to take a leave of absence after being diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year. Former assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox did fill in the few times it was necessary.
It was Patterson's decision to continue on through treatment.
"I think we give him life," veteran defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II said. "Obviously that's not an easy thing to go through, but I think we give him life and he enjoys coming in and helping us get better."
It has been a rough season for Patterson and the Giants' defensive line from start to finish. The struggles have extended on and off the field, beyond Patterson. Cox was fired earlier this month.
But Patterson recently explained how he has handled some of the obstacles and passed it along to his players.
"Stuff happens in life," he said. "Learning those things as a young man is going to help them down the road as they deal with other things that happen to all of us in life's journey. So that is the way I approach it. I tell my guys all the time, if all I do is teach you how to be a good football player, I'm cheating you. I have to help you with life's journey. So we talk about things other than football a lot because my job is to also prepare them for what life is going to give them when they are no longer a football player."
Some players and team personnel weren't even aware of Patterson's most recent medical struggles. The defensive line knew.
They didn't detect anything out of the ordinary regarding the way he coached and are just happy to see Patterson back to his normal self.
"Oh, it's great, man. There's no drop-off. So he's still the same dude," defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris said. "If he didn't tell us anything, we wouldn't have known. That's what kind of dude he is. There's no drop-off. Like I said, he's the same guy every day.
"If he never told us anything, we wouldn't have known anything. We wouldn't be able to tell."
Patterson isn't the only Giant to fight cancer this year. Owner John Mara revealed back in September he was dealing with an unspecified cancer.