BOSTON — Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich, the Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year, has cancer.

Herzlich said Thursday he was diagnosed earlier this week with Ewing’s Sarcoma after feeling pain in his leg and will undergo more tests in his home state of Pennsylvania.
Ewing’s Sarcoma is a malignant tumor often found in bone or soft tissue.
Herzlich, of Wayne, Pa., said earlier this year that he would return to BC for his senior season. As a junior, he led the Eagles with 81 solo tackles and was one of two linebackers in the country with six interceptions.
Herzlich said he was determined to return to football after fighting the disease.