Stealth's head coach diagnosed with cancer; should recover fully | People

Washington Stealth Head Coach Chris Hall has always been known as a tough competitor, but he’s now facing the biggest fight of his life.

The team announced that Hall has been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on the right tonsil. He will be starting treatment immediately, but he will miss the Stealth’s training camp and the first few games of the regular season. Defensive coordinator Art Webster will be the interim coach while Hall is out.

The tumor was found after visiting a doctor in Victoria, B.C., where Hall lives in the offseason. He had gone in to see what was causing some irritation in his throat, and that’s when an abnormality was found on the right tonsil. A biopsy determined that the there was a tumor and that it was cancerous, but the cancer hadn’t spread and can be eliminated.

The treatment is expected to last between 4-6 weeks, but Hall is ready to get going.

“I’m looking forward to starting the treatment,” Hall said in a statement. “Like anything in life, I want to take the bull by the horns and face it head on. I am happy that we have a plan and this is curable. I want to beat this and get back on the floor with the team and work towards winning another championship.”

Hall has been the Stealth’s head coach since 2009. He led the team to the National Lacrosse League title in 2010, the team’s first year in Everett, and they made it back to the Champion’s Cup Final in 2011 before losing to Toronto. He also won the NLL title as Calgary's head coach in 2004.