Finding Inspiration Amid Unimaginable Tragedy | 4 Downs
Some things are bigger than football.
My agent, Whitney Holtzman, represents current and former NFL players, myself, and a robust list of clients across the sports, entertainment, and media industry, but that isn’t why I asked her to contribute to the lead of this week’s column.
Whitney’s family is living through the heartache of every parent’s worst nightmare. Her cousin Mallory, just four years old, was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Diffuse Midline Glioma kills more children under 10 than any other cancer, yet research funding for it lags far behind more well-known diseases.
Even as they process their own grief, her family is channeling that pain into a mission: fighting for a cure in hopes of others avoiding the same unimaginable pain.
We’ll get into the ugly showdown between All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals, a potential superstar’s arrival in Green Bay, and the chances of the tush push being ripped from the Super Bowl champion Eagles’ playbook a little later on in this column. But, Mallory’s story, her fight, and her family’s mission is one that I wanted to shine a light on in hopes of making a difference in their lives and those of others.
Mallory Strong
Mallory is the funniest person I’ve ever met. She’s also only 4 years old (turning 5 on June 19th) and was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and given 9- 12 months to live.
Let me tell you one of my favorite Mallory anecdotes. My parents were visiting her in the summer of 2024. They noticed she got a new playset outside and told her they liked it. She replied, “Yeah, it’s so my dad doesn’t have to mow the lawn.” She’d just turned 4, but has always had the maturity and sense of humor of a 35-year-old.
If you’re trying to think of the right version of a word to use, she’ll just pipe in and offer an alternative phrase to settle the debate. She’s got it all figured out.
Just a few short months ago, her hometown Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl. Life seemed as normal as could be.
But, everything changed weeks later when her preschool noticed she was having some balance issues and tremors. Her mom, my first cousin Hillary, details the whole story on Mallory’s “The Cure Starts Now” page, where you can also donate to Mallory.
In what became a whirlwind of a few weeks, we kept getting the worst news at every turn. First, on Valentine’s Day, we were told it was brain cancer. WHAT! But I’m an optimistic person. We knew she had a Glioma, but we were told there’s a high-grade and low-grade version. Low grade is much more curable, so I thought that had to be the version my perfect little cousin had.
Nope, we found out the following week that it was a high grade. And not just a high grade. She has Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG/DIPG) for which there is no cure and no treatment – just 30 days of palliative radiation.
It’s the worst childhood cancer diagnosis that exists, and strides haven’t been made in nearly 60 years with this diagnosis. Please see the mind-blowing stats below on this monster. This news has been a horror movie at every turn.
There is a genetic mutation that about 80% of DMG/DIPG patients have. Mallory is in the 20% that does not have it, so she’s being turned away from the few clinical trials that do exist.
Mallory’s parents, my cousins Hillary and Lonnie, have been heroic in fighting tirelessly for more tomorrows for those diagnosed with this evil disease. Despite their own personal pain, they are using their experience to make the world a better place for all who face this demon in the future, including starting Mallory’s chapter of “The Cure Starts Now” and her “Relay for Research”.
We had the pleasure of seeing Mallory and her family at Walt Disney World this past week. Mallory is an angel. She’s HILARIOUS, sweet, organized, a lover of animals, a best friend to her little brother (they’re always holding hands, and she keeps him in line, along with the rest of us).
Mallory and I share a birthday week, so I feel like we innately understand each other in a lot of ways. We both love bright colors and typically, have each of our nails painted a different color. Same is boring.
At her birthday party this year, she’s going to also have a cake for her dog, whose birthday is June 1st. That’s our thoughtful Mal. She was telling me all about the pandas she recently saw in Washington D.C. Of course, she knew their names and can identify just about any animal you put in front of her. At the same time, her Make-a-Wish trip is just a few weeks away.
The unfairness of it all, and I never use that word. This situation has put life in perspective and a reminder that nothing else matters besides health and family.
Mallory is the purest soul and deserves all the days, years, and milestones ahead of her.
More than anything, this world needs all that Mallory brings to it, as we all can’t live without her.
If you can, please consider making a donation to Mallory Kaplan’s Relay for Research Fundraiser, with 100 percent of proceeds going directly to pediatric cancer research.
First Down: Where Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals Go From Here
Trey Hendrickson’s bitter standoff with the Cincinnati Bengals went nuclear last week.
As Hendrickson’s teammates were running onto the field for the first OTA practice of the spring, the reigning First-Team All-Pro off consecutive 17.5-sack seasons walked over to the assembled media and drew his line in the sand.
"There are unprovoked shark attacks and there's provoked shark attacks," Hendrickson told reporters, of a text message from Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, informing him that if he did not participate in Cincinnati’s mandatory minicamp in June that he would be fined.
Hendrickson, who is entering the final year of his contract, made it clear during his half-hour media session that he will not play for Cincinnati this season if the Bengals don’t agree to an extension.
Set to make $20 million this season, at age 30, Hendrickson hoped to sign a long-term extension last offseason, but those efforts have been unsuccessful, leaving one of the premier players at a premium position across the league locked in a stalemate.
For Hendrickson, this situation clearly became personal.
From a Bengals perspective, there’s little reason not to extend their most dominant defensive player, especially after securing quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins’ respective futures.
Even after handing out three historic deals, the Bengals still have upwards of $27.7 million in cap space this season, the ninth-most spending flexibility in the league next offseason, at $68.8 million, and a projected $214.3 million in cap space in 2027.
With Burrow’s second contract signed, sealed, and delivered, this is the window for Cincinnati to maximize his prime, and they structured his deal to still allow plenty of financial flexibility to keep and add premier talent, which Hendrickson certainly is.
“If I represented him,” a prominent agent with multiple top-tier pass rushers as clients tells me of Hendrickson. “We’d be sitting out until Week 11. Make them come to the table.”
This offseason has already seen the Cleveland Browns pay Myles Garrett $123 million guaranteed over the next four years, Maxx Crosby come to terms on a three-year deal with $91.5 million guaranteed, and the New England Patriots land Milton Williams in free agency on a four-year deal that includes $63 million fully guaranteed.
That’s the market Hendrickson is looking at — and aiming to surpass.
To unlock the rest of this story — including Hendrickson’s next move, where he could land, and how this impacts the Bengals’ Super Bowl window — become a paid subscriber.
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