Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer Says He Was Diagnosed With Thyroid Cancer at Age 28

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters Wednesday he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when he was 28 years old.

"It was a very traumatic thing for me," the 51-year-old said.

He also discussed overcoming the diagnosis and returning to health and said, "when you have that type of diagnosis, and to have that hope and belief … it's great."

The topic came up during the coach's press conference because he was talking about the revelation that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' was previous diagnosed with skin cancer.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted Jones said during one of the episodes of Netflix's America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys that he underwent treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center "about a dozen years ago."

Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News asked for more details Tuesday, and Jones said he was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma in 2010 and survived primarily because of an experimental trial drug.

"I was saved by a fabulous treatment and great doctors and a real miracle [drug] called PD-1 [therapy]," Jones said. "I went into trials for that PD-1 and it has been one of the great medicines. I now have no tumors."

Townsend noted the experimental drug is Programmed Cell Death Protein 1, and it helps "fight cancer cells by blocking PD-1, thus enabling T cells to better recognize and destroy cancer cells."

Schottenheimer also dealt with cancer earlier in his life, although of a different variety.

According to the American Cancer Society, survival rates for thyroid cancer depend on whether it has spread to other areas, as well as age and overall health. The average five-year survival rates of papillary, follicular and medullary thyroid cancer are better than 90 percent, although it is just 10 percent for anaplastic thyroid cancer.

On the field, Schottenheimer—who is the son of former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer—is preparing for his first year as a head coach at the NFL level.

He was previously an offensive coordinator for the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Cowboys.