Patriots' Brandon Bolden Reveals 2018 Cancer Diagnosis; In Remission Since Surgery

New England Patriots running back Brandon Bolden revealed on Instagram Thursday that he was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 after Super Bowl LII. He added that he has been cancer-free since undergoing surgery.

Several of his Patriots' teammates showed support for the veteran on Instagram, including Jonnu Smith, James White and Damien Harris.

Bolden told reporters Thursday that he was diagnosed with a type of carcinoma and was motivated to reveal his diagnosis because, at the time, he didn't think he "was going to play another down in the NFL."

"[I] lost the majority of function on the right side of my face and continued to play," Bolden said. "It was just my face, it wasn’t the rest of my body, so I was OK with it.”

The two-time Super Bowl champion went undrafted out of Ole Miss and joined the Patriots in 2012. He spent the first six seasons of his career in New England before joining the Miami Dolphins for the 2018 season. 

Bolden appeared in all 16 games for Miami in 2018, rushing for 91 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to catching three passes for 13 yards and one score. The Louisiana native then rejoined the Patriots for the 2019 season before opting out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 concerns. 

Bolden is in the midst of his most productive season since 2015 despite being behind Harris on the depth chart. He has 36 carries for 176 yards, in addition to 37 catches for 364 yards and one touchdown in 15 games.