In the waning minutes of the first half of the 2021 National Championship Football Game, Alabama receiver John Metchie worked to get open for his scrambling quarterback, Bryce Young. As he planted his foot, he fell to the ground, writhing in pain. The star wideout had torn his ACL and faced a long road to recovery before he would be back on the field again. Less than a year later, Metchie encountered a new challenge when doctors diagnosed him with acute promyelocytic leukemia. But nothing would stop him from reaching his NFL dream.

Who is John Metchie?

Metchie was born in Taiwan as the youngest of four children. Shortly after his birth, he and his family moved to Accra, Ghana. At age seven, he, his mother and brothers moved again, this time outside of Ontario, Canada, in search of better opportunities. Metchie’s first opportunity to play sports came in soccer and lacrosse, but as he neared the end of middle school, he gravitated toward football. On the field, he displayed blazing speed and athleticism, but he knew that to pursue football at a higher level, his best opportunity would come in the United States.

Coming to America

Metchie began his path to college football at St. James School in Hagerstown, MD, where he faced challenges both on and off the field. At 14 years old, he was thousands of miles away from his family and had to navigate life on his own for the first time. This was made even more difficult when doctors discovered he had a heart murmur, which kept him off the field for his entire freshman season. Despite this early setback, Metchie views this time as an opportunity for personal growth.

“It was definitely hard to be away from family when this was going on,” he told Yahoo Sports. “That period helped me grow. I had to become even more self-reliant at a young age.”

Once back on the field, Metchie posted 1,300 rushing yards, 2,500 receiving yards, and ranked 42nd nationally in 2019.. This success led him to commit to the University of Alabama.

A Setback for a Comeback

By his second year at Alabama, Metchie proved he could be one of the premier wide receivers in college football. That season he racked up over 900 yards and six touchdowns. A year later, he took on the role of the number one wide receiver on an explosive offense. That season, he accumulated over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns, before his ACL injury in the championship game.

Despite his injury history, the Houston Texans selected Metchie with the 44th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. But before he could take the field, he faced yet another challenge.

In July 2022, doctors diagnosed Metchie with Acute promyelocytic leukemia, sidelining him for his entire rookie season

“I was blessed and very grateful to have one of the most curable forms of cancer,” he told reporters. “As you all see, I didn’t lose my hair, and a lot of other things like that. So, I was very grateful. I’m very blessed for that. But at the very beginning, when you’re diagnosed, it’s a very tough part. It’s the most critical part. You can only rely on your faith in those situations when you’re faced with your own mortality.”

From the start, Metchie approached his treatment with the same mindset he brought to his football career: with a team. He surrounded himself with a team of doctors, nurses, and fellow patients, all focused on one singular goal: beat cancer. It was that team, which Metchie calls his “hospital family,” that helped him return to the field in 2023.

In Week 10 of the 2024 season, John Metchie reminded everyone why he was a top-50 pick in the NFL Draft when he had a career day, with 74 yards from scrimmage and  the first touchdown of his career with a 15-yard reception.

John Metchie’s response to every challenge he has faced on his journey to the NFL has been nothing short of miraculous. From moving to a new country at just 14, to overcoming multiple injuries throughout his football career, to bravely battling a cancer diagnosis, Metchie has developed a perspective on life far beyond his 24 years. In a reflective piece done by the Texans, Metchie shared insights into how he has cultivated such remarkable resilience, offering a window into the mindset that has propelled him through adversity.

A New Perspective

“I was dealt a card, and life always deals you a card,” Metchie said. “It’s all about how you respond to it, how you face it, and how you look at it. Somebody always has it worse, and somebody always has it better. At the end of the day, that’s life. It’s all about your perspective and what you do with your opportunity.”

We all face challenges, but like Metchie, if we can view them as opportunities, we can not only get through them, but grow from them as well.