TUCSON, Ariz. — Judge Culpepper is in the midst of the best season of his college football career.
And unbeknownst to him, his nine sacks — the 17th-most in the country — have come while stricken with cancer.
“We were dumbfounded,” said Culpepper’s mother, Monica.
Something was off all season. Culpepper didn’t feel like himself. He was exhausted at times. But he attributed the fatigue, aches, and pains to life as a football player.
On the Monday after the Mid-American Conference championship game, Culpepper had a doctor’s appointment. He found out that he had Stage 1 testicular cancer on Wednesday.