Eagles' Coleman raising awareness for male breast cancer

There are lots of ways to handle being locked out of the NFL. Kurt Coleman is using his time in limbo to raise awareness of male breast cancer.

Coleman might very well be the Eagles' starting strong safety right now, with Quintin Mikell a free agent, and nobody able to sign free agents. But Coleman can't work out at NovaCare as he attempts to build on the promising rookie season he forged after arriving last year as a seventh-round draftee. Instead he's helping out with spring practice at Ohio State, where Coleman went to school, and preparing for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Columbus, scheduled for May 14.

Coleman's father, Ron, a high school assistant principal in Ohio, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, one of only 2,000 or so men who receive the rare diagnosis each year. (Many of them are middle-aged and African-American, Kurt said, though researchers aren't sure why that is.) Ron underwent surgery and has made a full recovery. Kurt and Ron hope to double last year's contribution of $5,000 to the Race for the Cure, which generally is connected with women's breast cancer.

"He's kind of taken what he's gone through and run with it, and it's really inspired a lot of people who thought they were alone in the situation," Kurt Coleman said this week. "He's given a lot of hope and a lot of life to people who didn't think they had a chance."

Ron Coleman, now 60, originally felt a small bump in his chest, his son said, worrisome enough that he got it checked out. Kurt was a freshman then, playing mostly on special teams for the Buckeyes.

"[The timing] was a blessing and a curse," Kurt Coleman said. "I was going through training for the national championship game against Florida. For me, I was kind of distracted by school and football at the time; I didn't have that much time to sit down and think about his situation and what was going on with my family. What gave me confidence and peace of mind was, when he told me he had breast cancer, he told me he was going to fight it, he was going to beat it, and everything was going to be OK. Once I heard that, I was like, 'All right, I can focus on school, I can focus on football. I don't really have to worry.' "

After recovering, Ron Coleman happened to be in downtown Columbus for his daughter's wedding on the day of the Komen race in 2009. He decided to form a team for the next year and ended up with 20 people running and walking. This year, the Coleman family is hoping for 100 friends and family members to take to the streets. You don't have to run or walk to contribute, but can visit the website Coleman4acure.com or by contacting Kurt via Facebook or Twitter (@K4Coleman).

Right now, Kurt Coleman isn't trying to whittle his normal 18- to 19-minute 5K time; he figures he will probably walk the Komen course. But he is working out at Ohio State, on his own, and trying to get used to being called "coach" by guys who were his teammates a year ago.

"They tell me I sound like a coach. I don't want to be called a coach yet, but I'll take the respect when it's given," Coleman said.

He said he has video of Eagles games from last season and is watching that, reviewing the defense, though he can't confer with new coordinator Juan Castillo because of the lockout. He does talk to Mikell, he said, though they don't know whether they are still teammates.

"He doesn't really know what's going on - he's in a limbo area, as well," Coleman said. "I learned so much being under his wing for a year. I would love to spend another year just learning from him, learning the game and learning how to play the position. If me being in a starting role is what it is, I'm going to accept that, and do everything I can to keep that."

Mikell said last night he is among a group of players working out at Power Train in South Jersey.

"It's tough," he acknowledged. "I don't know if there's going to be football, or where there's going to be football."

Mikell, 30, has been an Eagle for all eight of his NFL seasons. He said he spoke with Castillo after the surprise move of the former offensive-line coach to defense in February, but "I have no idea whether I'll be back" with the Eagles. Mikell said his exit meeting, back in January, was "really awkward." *

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