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Vanderbilt football player Turner Cockrell dies after battle with cancer

Sad news to report tonight. Vanderbilt football player Turner Cockrell has passed away after a yearlong battle with cancer. Cockrell was 21.

A tight end from Acworth, Georgia, Cockrell signed with Vanderbilt in 2016 and had not seen the field for Vanderbilt. After a redshirt year in 2016, Cockrell was diagnosed with melanoma in fall 2017 and did not play that season, though the university did not reveal that he was battling cancer until shortly before this season.

Our prayers are with the Cockrell family and the Vanderbilt community during this difficult time.