Nick Bell, MSU Football Player, Battles Cancer

Mississippi State defensive end Nick Bell is in intensive care after emergency surgery in Birmingham, Ala., after it was found Sunday that his cancer has spread.

In a statement, MSU coach Dan Mullen says he visited Bell at the University of Alabama-Birmingham hospital on Monday afternoon. Bell, who is from Bessemer, Ala., had surgery on Monday morning. He began experiencing headaches in late September and had surgery on Oct. 1 to remove a mass on his brain. The mass was later diagnosed as a form of skin cancer.

"We found out this weekend it's metastasized through his body," Mullen said, according to The Birmingham News. "He took a little turn for the worse in the past three days. He's in a battle. He's struggling, so I'm going to go over and visit him."

Mullen says about 50 Mississippi State players planned to visit Bell in the hospital on Monday evening.

Bell, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound sophomore, has played in four games this season, including two starts, making seven tackles.