Replacing a living legend at one of the most high-profile football programs in the country would seem to be tough enough in and of itself.
Throwing some personal family issues on top of that on-field pressure would seem to be a little too over the top, a little bit too much to ask of a 20 year old.
And, yet, that’s the load John Brantley IV is currently having to bear.
According to the St. Petersburg Times, John Brantley III has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will undergo surgery on March 10, exactly one week before Brantley steps into Tim Tebow‘s shoes at spring practice and becomes Florida’s starting quarterback.
Being close to his father, Brantley said that it’s not an easy issue to discuss, but that his family -- including uncle Scott Brantley, a former UF linebacker -- has stressed to him to focus on what’s at hand football-wise and that the other stuff will work itself out for the good.
“We’ve got a very close relationship, so it’s been tough,’' Brantley said . “I don’t talk about it too much, I try to keep it off my mind as much as I can.It’s going to be a tough day. A really tough day. But stuff happens. He should be fine. He’s having surgery.
“They say don’t worry about it, just focus on what’s going on now. We’ll figure out the other stuff when it comes down the road. But it’s always tough to just focus on that and not think about other things. But you know, they keep trying to stress to me it’s going to be fine, it’s going to be fine, which it will be.”
Our best wishes go out to the Brantley family and we hope for a speedy -- and successful -- recovery for Brantley’s father.
