Former Houston Texans Player Devon Still Reflects On His Daughter's Battle With Cancer In New Book
DJ Sixsmith
A lot has changed in Devon Still's life since he played football for the Houston Texans.
He retired from the NFL in 2017 and his daughter Leah's stage four cancer is in remission. Devon and his family have been through a lot and Still decided it was time to share his story.
"I was inspired one day to put this book out there," said Still in an interview with CBS Local. "I felt like people needed to hear this story. This gives people a playbook to get back into life with whatever struggle they're facing."
Still spent his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans after being selected 53rd overall in 2012. Still played three games with the Texans in 2016 before suffering a season-ending injury.
Leah's battle with cancer became a national story after Devon decided to share her journey on social media. Looking back on everything now, Devon wishes he could've done some things differently.
"Writing this book was really therapeutic because I got to relive some of these moments," said Still. "I wanted to be transparent, so people could see themselves in my struggles. I'm really glad that I gave Leah's battle with cancer a purpose. One thing I regret is not being vulnerable enough in front of Leah and crying in front of Leah. I thought I had to be strong for her in order for her to be strong."
The 29-year-old still lives in Houston and is currently getting his master's degree from the University of Houston. While Leah has been begging dad to go to a football game, Devon is still getting used to not being a football player anymore.
"I know I can still do it. When I came back from my lisfranc injury, I signed with the Jets and probably did it a little bit too early," said Still. "I wanted to prove that this injury wouldn't stop me from living my dream. I probably had about seven plays with the Jets in the preseason and I had two sacks before I was released. That showed me I still had it left in the tank, but it wasn't necessarily good for me. When I realized that, I knew it was time to walk away."
